Iridis
by oreioreo
Summary: Two things that she expected are chaos and drama, but never peace and acceptance. Arco!Fem!27, ArcoFem!27 with mild AllFem!27
1. Prologue

**A/N So I'm new in this...thing. If there's a mistyping/bad grammar/or whatever faults you guys find and it makes you uncomfortable because how bad it is, do tell me in the review/PM and I'll change it! Not immediately, but this thing is not going to be that long. **

**Warning : Fem!Tsunayoshi, OOC characters, (probably) bad grammars, a very sad attempt at humor, and many things that might or might not happen. **

**So without further ado, enjoy.**

* * *

Il Ascoltatore is famous in the dark world. She is known to be the one who will listens and will help you anyway she can. Not everything, of course, this is the underworld we are talking about. But when it comes to listening a simple confession, listening a bad, bad attempts of flirting, or even listening to you talking about anything you want, she will listens, reply, comment, makes noises as if she understand one hundred percent (even though there was a time where a foreigner was talking to her in his language, making Il Ascoltatore doesn't understand a word but she nods anyway) and even offer advice if she needs to.

She usually would appears in street with a white gatsby hat, a sundress (no matter the season, she would always appears in one), a scarf that covers half of her face (yet, she always use one no matter the season), and a wedge heeled shoes to complete the look. She would appear in white, usually, but there are also moments where she wears lilac or blue or sometimes even bright yellow in rare days.

You might find her walking down the street, with measured steps as if she was walking in a string, heads down but rarely hits another person, and her aura that is way too accepting and too warm for a dark, dark world like the mafia world. When people greeted her, she would reply with a soft and gentle voice, like she's whispering. But it's loud in it's way, and people would be left breathless after she talks.

A beautiful voice, a kind attitude, a beautiful woman to boot, Il Ascoltatore might as well be an angel.

(And people won't deny, Il Ascoltatore is simply an angel in this hellhole.)

This is Il Ascoltatore, or someone that we know as Tsunayoshi Sawada.

* * *

"I must admit, though, miss Ascoltatore," A man in front of her says, a checkered mask covering his wandering eyes. Tsuna simply glances at the man, eyes covered by the brim of her hat. "I never pegged you to be a Japanese woman, or even a foreigner. Sure, you are pretty small," the Ascoltatore's eyebrow twitched slightly at the mention of her short stature, "But you speak Italian so flawlessly, you might as well be an Italian instead." Says the man to her with a wiggle of his eyebrow, as if he wanted to flirt with her. But the signals that he sends are pretty confusing, so Tsuna won't say anything about his gestures.

Although, she giggles, before smiles slightly (although her lips was covered by the scarf), "Should I take that as a compliment or an insult to my height?" She replied, a hint of mischief clear on her voice.

The man laugh, obviously suprised by her cheeky reply. "My, I never know you will reply in such manner!" He says dramatically, causing the female to laugh at the silliness of the act.

Tsunayoshi was resting on a bench in an abandoned park near the edge of Sicily. This is her usual place to rest, when she simply doesn't want to talk to people, or if she wants to rest for a bit before she continues her stroll. But either way, this place is her hiding place. No one supposed to know about this place, but surprisingly, this man managed to found her. He said he wanted to talk about something, so she allows him to do so. It's probably important, if the man was making an effort to find her.

"What can I help you, _Monsieur...?_" Tsuna's voice trailed away, tilting her head slightly as if asking the name of the mysterious man. He grins to her. "I like it when someone speaks French," Tsuna giggled at this, "But if you must know, you may call me Checkerface." He said with a grandeur motion, lifting her hand and kissed the back of her hand.

Tsuna only smiles, amused by how he acts. This man acts like he was a clown of sort. He is one, probably, seeing how he can acts that...silly, without being embarrassed at all.

"Okay, _Monsieur _Checkerface." She said. Checkerface nodded, before his shoulder tensed slightly, and this gesture did not go unnoticed by the younger between the two, "Miss Ascoltatore, I have a...job, for you." The brunette perks up at this, and she turns slightly to the man. "A job? No one actually give me a job, though.." She says, simply stating the facts.

But Checkerface smirks instead.

"Ah, yes, but your talent is much needed this time." _Talent..? _"Yes, talent. Your talent to be able to listen to many people." _Oh, that talent. _Tsuna thinks absentmindedly. _Oh wait, did he reads my mind?! _the brunette thought, feeling horrified inwardly. "And then..?" She asks softly, as she silently urging the man to speak more about this so-called job.

"I am going to gather the strongest seven on this world," Checkerface started, "and give them missions. I don't expect you to do the same, but I know that living with six others who is simply way too different from you can be difficult," He continues, eyes on the woman now, "So I simply ask you to be there for them. To accept them. Because they can be...pretty fickle, honestly," He shrugs, as if he doesn't even know if the word even cover their eccentricity. "So, yes, can you help me?" He asked, looking hopeful (or at least, looking as hopeful as one can be with mask covering their eyes).

For Tsuna though, this looks like a very interesting job. So, she needs to be a babysitter of 6 _adult_ people who is simply way too weird to probably function correctly, or simply way too selfish to be social with each other.

See, it's pretty interesting actually.

"Hm..." She murmured, before smiling, "Sure. I'll do it. When do I start?" She asked her now employer.

Checkerface grins brightly.

"Wonderful! As soon as possible!"

Later, she asks to herself why she accepts a request from an unknown man.

But we'll get to that later.

* * *

At the same time as she says yes, another six receives a letter.

A Hitman.

An Illusionist.

A Scientist.

A Martial Artist.

A COMSUBIN Boss.

A Daredevil.

With a frown on their face, they says yes to the proposal.

Thinking that it might be just another 'team' job.

* * *

**A/N : So what do you think? It does seem boring, right? I must agree, though. The pace will pick up in the next chapter, do not worry. Oh, by the way, if you guys want to, I can accept a ship requestThis fic is going to be Arco27, although it's going to have All27 moments as well, so please send me a ship and I will do my best to fulfill. I won't do a poll, since the plot is set and all, but I can sneak in some 'event', so please, if you want to, send me a ship! Yes, I guess that's it. **

**Lol, the note is longer than the damn story. **

**Ciao! **

**Oh, and thanks for reading :) **


	2. Introduction

**A/N ; I-uh.. *blush deeply* I must admit that I was in denial over someone would read this story. I really do. I'm not the type to force someone to review, but seeing even one person says that they like my story.. I can die happy. I really do. Thank you for all the faves and the follows (I'll admit I thought I was going to get a heart attack.) and thank you for your kind words, KiMaChI-san, Skylar18-san! **

**Warning : OOC characters, so much dialogs. **

* * *

_In a cottage, a small cottage in the middle of nowhere, inside it was the strongest six the mafia world right now ever sees. A very restless, plus annoyed six strongest people in underworld. _

"Someone is late." A person with a fedora on top of his head grumbled, as he glanced at the only empty seat. His onyx eyes traveled at his 'companion', and he scoffed when he finds that none of them are no one that he doesn't know. They are all famous in the underworld, after all. Even a mutter of their name could bring a burly man to his knees. They are probably that famous.

"Well, if I am correct then.." A man with red robes murmured as he let his eyes travels. He saw Lightning, Mist, Rain, Cloud, Sun, and himself, Storm. So if this is going to be seven, then... "We are apparently missing the sky flame." He leans back, studying the expression of the other people. Finding no reaction, he sighed as if knowing that is how they would react. It would take a lot to make the others to react, the man decides.

"The sky flame is rare. Does someone really going to show up?" Now a green haired scientist muttered, looking at his note, before shaking his head in dismissal over some theories that appear on his head. "It shouldn't be that easy to find a sky flame user, I believe." He continued, before huffed in annoyance. "But to think that this someone dared to come late..." He mumbled, his eyebrows furrowing slightly deeper.

"I'm wasting my time here. I could've used it to find more money." The woman in dark robes let out a 'Mu~' noise, before she took out money from her left sleeve. How she even managed to hid the money on her sleeve without it falls down when she let her hands down-that would forever be a mystery.

"Skull-sama is boooooooooored!" A male with black hair and a streak of purple whined loudly, groaned loudly because of said boredom. He could be out there! Playing with his bike! Challening death! Yet instead, he's stuck here, along with these people who looks so mean. At least one of them are going to bully him. Ugh, fate really does hate him, isn't it?

"Shut up, lackey."

See, he said so.

"I'M NOT A LACKEY, WHO ARE YOU CALLING LACKEY?!"

The woman with blue hair glared at the biker, who wished that he could shrunk his size. Her glare could kill someone, he swore! The woman ignored him, though, choosing to tidy her uniform instead. Would it kill them to act more like their age? They are all _adults! _

Instead of saying anything, the hitman immediately hits the daredevil with a green hammer that appears out of nowhere. The biker whines loudly, shouting about "SKULL-SAMA DIDN'T DESERVE THIS!" but no one pays attention. But the hitman does serve yet another hit to the biker-whose name is apparently Skull-before snorted softly.

"Reborn..." The man in red robes sighed, looking at the black haired male who seems to be glaring the younger one. His glare is so dark though, it probably could kill a lesser man. And maybe, Skull is one of those 'lesser' man. Because not long after that, the dark haired man squeaked and hid behind his chair, shaking so badly until the chair itself shakes because of him.

"Ugh, idiots." The blue haired female muttered, massaging her temple in slow motion.

"Then you are one as well, Lal Mirch." The dark robe wearer said simply, ignoring the glares that Lal throws at her. She simply continues counting her money, before sighed because she lost count. "Great, now I have to count from the beginning. Thank you sooooo much." The illusionist then count back to one.

"What the fuck was that, you punk?!" Lal Mirch yelled.

"I'm not a punk. If there's a punk here, it's going to be that idiot in purple."

"I'M NOT AN IDIOT."

"Yeah, and fish does not swim."

"WHY YOU-A MERE SCIENTIST DARE TO INSULT ME?!"

"I could turn you into a cockroach. Do you want to be my experiment?"

"-NO."

"Then shut up."

"Shut up, you idiots!"

And then all hell breaks loose.

Fon could only watch the drama unfold, with his palm covering his eyes as he tried to ignore the upcoming headache. He, who is used to silent environment, suddenly thrust into the place where no one could shut up, always wanting to talk so loudly-what's wrong with silence?! Is it too much to ask?!

In the middle of the bickering, though, no one heard the sound of the door creaking open or the sound of someone finally filling the last chair.

"...I swear..." He mumbled, letting his killer aura fills the room, (not) startling every rowdy members, "If you guys don't shut up and sit in the next 5 seconds..." He lifted his head from his palm, eyes bloodshot because of the headache, "I'm going to do something terrible." He hissed.

Thankfully, everyone (reluctantly) follow his order.

"And now that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Fon said with a sweet smile on his lips, although the smile is way too sickening to be sincere.

They froze slightly when they heard a giggle coming from someone unknown.

Of course, they immediately reached for their weapon (Skull doesn't have any weapon though, he simply tightens his grip on his helmet in case he have to run away fast) and they wrapped their fingers around it and...

"So, is this the bunch that I'm going to be taking care of?" The mysterious person said, looking amused by how they all act. The members loosen their hold on their weapon unconsciously, as if their body trusted this new person. Even though they don't-they know they don't-but there's this aura that suddenly enveloping the area, the feeling of warmness and security. For some reason this makes them trusting, although none of them made a move to greet the person that just appear.

"Finally. Lost in the way, stupid?" Reborn is the one who breaks the silence, the remnant of his annoyance earlier flared back all of the sudden. The female that just appeared blinked, and then she looks at her watch, before shaking her head rapidly. "No, I'm not that late, you know! Monsieur Checkerface told me to appear now," The female pouts, before she leans slightly to the table, resting her chin against her folded arms.

"You make Skull-sama bored! You have to pay for that!" Skull suddenly yelled, slamming both of his palms to the table, eyebrows furrowed in an attempt to look scarier. The woman blinks, before giggling at Skull's attempt, shaking her head as if she's saying that she's not scared at all. Nice attempt, though.

"Shut up lackey." Lal said to the biker, who yelled "WHO'S THE LACKEY HERE?!" but his screams were ignored by the others as usual.

"You're going to be my experiment subject because of your tardiness." The scientist stated as he eyed the woman. She blinks twice. Then she smiled. "If I-I can be any help, then okay." She said innocently. The scientist blinks. Well, this is the first time anyone ever offer themselves to be the subject. Usually they will offer if there's a blackmail following them…But this one? This is strange.

The scientist's eyes glinted with curiosity.

What a strange person indeed.

The woman simply looks around, before grinning.

"Do you guys want cookies?" The lady asked as she took out a container filled with chocolate chip cookies. "I made one last night, you guys can have a bite. I promise it's not poisoned or anythi-"

"Wait a second." The illusionist cuts the woman words with a growl. "Do you think this is a game? Who even let someone this young here? Is Checkerface mad already?" She cried out, pointing at the woman across her.

"Well, I should agree with her..." Lal suddenly reponded, staring at the fidgeting woman now. "Why are you here." Her tone is not even asking, it's demanding a reply but the female simply pouted (but if they are observant enough, they could see her hands shook slightly as she holds on the edge of her skirt).

"Monsieur Checkerface a-asked me to be he-here, to be you gu-guys' babysit-tter." The female retorted, looking angry (she managed to look so adorable even by doing so) as she tighten the hold on something.

"We don't need a damn babysitter!" Lal shouted, feeling insulted somehow. This woman, this unknown woman, have the courage to be late, now to insult all of them, her, who is a boss in the fucking army? "We're an adult, and we're not going to need someone to hold us back!" The blue haired female fumed, earning a nod from nearly every member that is there.

"We-well, tell that to Mo-Monsieur Checkerface himself," The woman retorted, "I kn-know you guys are a-all adults, but a-apparently, according to Monsieur Che-Checkerface, no-none of you are qu-qualified to take care of yourself." The woman glared, before she took a deep breath, "I don't even know why I'm here myself..." She rubs her palm against her face slowly, looking like she's too tired all of the sudden.

"Wait..."

A voice suddenly says, and all head turns to Fon who didn't say anything, since he only observe silently at the situation. This woman is not lying, but what's the proof... The other are really wary of her, which is worrying, since the lady doesn't seems to be able to protect herself. Call it an instinct, but she doesn't have the aura of a killer like them.

His eyes trailed over the woman, before blinking at the object that she held.

"Is that a letter?" Fon asked. The woman nodded, and she gave the envelope to Fon who receives it and mouthed 'Xie xie' to the lady.

"Dear Strongest Six." The martial artist reads aloud, capturing their attention immediately, "If you read this, then the lady with white hat is there already." At this, the woman suddenly waves her hand lazily, "Excuse her tardiness; it is my fault that she is late. I kept her for a bit too long because I have a lot to tell." Reborn narrows his eyes at this. To tell? So this woman is their messenger, or the one that connects them with Checkerface? "Please take care of her-or maybe she'll be the one who take care of you? She's an angel, really. Signed, Checkerface." Fon concluded, eyes are now on the female.

"Introduction?" Her voice still sounds tired, but it regains its usual energy. She looks at them innocently, and this makes all the member groans out in annoyance before sighing in tandem.

"I'm first then." The martial artist speaks up, smiling slightly at his companion. "My name is Fon." He said simply, a pleasant smile still decorated his face.

"I'm Reborn." The hitman continued, his dark eyes studying his companion. This looks really interesting.

"Verde." The scientist muttered; eyes still on his note.

"Viper. But please, call me Mammon." The illusionist said, a hint of animosity filled her voice.

"Lal Mirch." The military lady said, brown eyes still filled with distrust but who are they to judge? Because all of them are strong in their own way, so to not be wary of each other is the same as signing a contract with the Reaper.

"I AM SKU-"

"Shut up lackey." Reborn cuts him off with a wave of his hand. Skull fumed in the background, but no one really pays attention.

Except for the mysterious woman, apparently. She looks at the rider, before tilting her head slightly.

"Your name is...?" She asked the biker, even though her eyes are covered by the brim of her hat, and because of her bangs, they could actually feel the curiosity that flows from the woman.

"Sku-Skull." The biker whispered, suddenly feeling timid. The female clapped her hand in excitement, before nodding with a smile.

Why in the world would the famous Daredevil to be timid in front of this..woman?

"Then, your name is…?" Finally, Fon asked the question that is burning on some of them. All eyes are now on the lady who waves slightly, and then she smiles as bright as the sun itself.

"Call me Tsuru. Pleased to meet all of you." She said, lifting her hat slightly. This gesture makes the other members to see the color of her eyes. It was orange, burning brightly like the bonfire in the middle of a dark night. But then she moved her hat to cover half of her face again, and the other six simply ignores the disappointment that sets into their soul.

Why would they be disappointed anyway?

"Why Japanese?" The hitman—Reborn—asked; looking at the female with unreadable gaze. Tsuru hummed, before shrugging her shoulder lightly because she doesn't want to jostle her scarf. "It's the closest to my name." She replied easily.

"So you are from Japan?" Asked Fon who switched to Japanese all of the sudden. None of them are very familiar with the language, so no one really pays attention to what Fon is saying.

"I was born in there, and moves here." The brunette grinned as she replied with the same language, before she leans her chin against her palm.

Skull watches Tsuru with curiosity, before he suddenly notices something.

"Are you the famous Listener?!"

She pressed her forefinger against her own lips, making universal motion of 'shh'.

* * *

For the first time in his life, Gokudera Hayato didn't know what to do. Sure, he boarded the plane and sure, he already arrived in Namimori, but after that? He doesn't know what is he doing here, really, like why? There are other things that he could at Italy, but instead, he runs away to Japan, to Namimori! He doesn't know if this is just pure madness or this is just his instinct going haywire.

Probably the latter.

The air here is really clean, though.

"This place suits her very much," the silver haired teen mused with an absentminded smile on his face. "So peaceful, so warm, and it looks like this place is very accepting as well..." He murmured, but then his smile turns grim.

"It's been awhile, though." The green eyed male murmured, looking around as if trying to find something. He was looking for a cab, or he'll be forced to walk. Which is not what he wanted to do, because oh god, he's bringing way too much.

(He had a sneaking suspicion that Bianchi snuck something _bad _into his suitcase.)

He sighed as he took a deep breath.

"I wonder if Tsu-hime is here..." Hayato murmured, a fond looks passed his eyes as nostalgia feeling sets into his heart. "It's been a while, really."

Hayato chuckled, before shaking his head.

"There's no way she's here, right?"

And no one replies his question.

Not that he wanted someone to reply, though.

With a shaky breath, he took a step forward to the place where she _was. _

To Namimori, he walks.

(And he walks to Namimori indeed, since there's no taxi on the location.)

* * *

**A/N : ...I type too fast. This is short, though. You guys do think this is pretty short, right? It's going to be slightly longer next chapter, I don't know... But eh. I'm still open to request, you know. /wiggle eyebrows/ Hm... Ah, review if you want to, I'm not forcing you guys but it makes this person happy so much :3 Review if you want to, follow or fave if you want to, I'm not going to complain! In fact, I'm grateful. **

**Thank you for reading! **

**Ciao!**


	3. Start

**A/N : So many...faves and follows... Thank you! I might not be able to say it one by one, but thank you Oh, yes, there was one reviewer who asks about 'All27', they asked is it going to be the Guardians, Varia, or what? Well, readers, it's up to you. The center of this story would be the Arco27, but if you want some...X27, for example, then okay! But do mind that since Tsuna is not.. 'Vongola', so bringing Primo and the First Generation will be hard. :) Once again, thank you!**

**Warning : OOC Character(s), Sad attempts at humor, bad grammar-yeaaah. That's about it, I guess. **

* * *

_After a very rocky start, the seven strongest finally decides to do some...bonding. _

"Whose idea was it, this thing?" Mammon grumbled as she watched her surroundings. Well, she will admit that this place is really beautiful. A land filled with nothing but greens, blue colors the sky above her head, stretches beyond horizon while she stands on top of a hill that was close with the cottage. As she felt the wind brushing against her cheek, she grumbled. "This place is way too cold for comfort." She complained before she turned to her companions, who looks really calm and they look like they don't have a single complain about this place. Maybe they have a higher tolerance toward coldness. She really wouldn't put it past them…

"But I must admit..." Tsuru said, her eyes travelled from trees to trees before smiling brightly, "This place is really pretty. It's a shame that this place is really hidden." The brunette whistled, hand unconsciously clutching a patch of grass. She immediately release her hold with a gasp, startled that she actually going to hurt the plant_. A mere plant. _

"I could take a nap here." Reborn murmured. He stretches his upper body, before leaning against the wet patch of grass. He paid no mind over the water that starting to soak his suit; instead he took off his fedora and covers the half top of his face. But, he does feel annoyed—just slightly—because of the soft composition he always identifies as a pillow was nowhere to be found. Granted, usually Leon was his pillow, but this time? He glanced at the brunette who smiled at the warmness the sun gives. Huffing, he gets up. Just the upper part of his body as he clutched his fedora so it won't be sullied by the dirt, before he landed his head to Tsuru's lap who looks startled.

"Hie—" Letting out her famous squeak, she peered down to the dark haired male who simply cover his eyes with his fedora, but he does letting his lips curved into a smirk. "What? You said you'll take care of us, right? This is just part of your _job." _He points out, practically could feel the female pouted in annoyance but he could feel the muscles beneath his head slowly unwinds, accepting the weight, before she relaxed immediately.

"Well, this is new." Fon said with an amused smile. Skull nodded rapidly, agreeing with the martial artist words. Usually, it would take a _lot _to make the hitman even get close to someone. He usually would stay away, but still within hearing range. So when they saw the male suddenly plopping his head to her lap, it was a shock.

"What's next, Mammon giving out money?" Verde grumbled, the noise apparently interrupting him from taking more notes. He, as a scientist, doesn't really care about the female. But he is interested over her flame, seeing that his chance on meeting up with Sky Flame user is next to none. Every single sky flame users are usually a boss and the boss never keen on taking experiment—so it's natural for him to be curious. What he found out immediately is that the flame property—Harmony, for sky flame—was already working on them. Before Tsuru appears, he admits that they look like they could kill each other without second thought, but now? They even—dare he say—_bonding. _Just because she's here, a female with sky flame with a reputation that is equally terrifying. Verde's lips tightened, before he sighed. Such a frightening power, he thinks.

"Like hell that would happen." The female illusionist retorted quickly.

Fon chuckled, patting the top of Mammon's head. "Yes, hell would freeze first before that happens, right, _Viper?_" The martial artist intentionally used the female's other name, but seeing that he got a little to no reaction from her—only a snort over his comment—he relaxed slightly.

The hitman grumbled. He was not amused by the comment, but what can he do? Her lap looks inviting, and it's soft as well. He grumbled in annoyance once his pillow starts to shift around, but in the end, she simply stretches her legs before letting the hitman settled once again on her lap.

"Apparently Reborn loves snuggles! That's so adorable! Unlike this Great Skull, he—" Before Skull could even finish his sentence, the hitman turns Leon into a gun and shot the stuntman, simply missing a few inches from his cheek. "Shut up before I kill you, lackey." Even with his eyes covered by his fedora, Skull could see the eyes darkening with the promise to hurt him. Skull cowered, before nodding rapidly and looking down in submission.

The brunette giggled softly. "It's seems that _Monsieur _Checkerface was right, you guys are just bunch of overgrown babies with dangerous toys." She said innocently with no hint of remorse on her face or voice.

Lal, who stayed silent for the entire time, snorts. "You judge us pretty quickly for someone that is famous for being an _angel _of the mafia world." The military woman watches the female pursed her lips, before she smiles. "I never said I am an angel." She replied casually. Tsuru tilted her head slightly, before nodding to herself. "Yes, I only act according to the situation, so I'm no angel or saint, simply a listener." She continues, before she leaned back slightly.

Suddenly silence dance in the air. The strongest seven was currently busy with their thought, but nothing to heavy that could make them cripple under the intensity. The first one to break the silence was, surprisingly, Verde.

"Tsuru." The scientist calls out, ignoring the sudden look that the other throws at him. "Did you mean it? Being my experiment subjects? I am in dire need of data over that flame of yours. Sky flame are known to be mysterious, no one wanted to be subject, so the data over that flame is la—"

Tsuru leaned forward, just a bit because she doesn't want to annoy the napping hitman, before pressing her forefinger against the scientist's lips. The man stiffened for a moment, before he glared at the woman who simply smiled.

"You're blabbing." She said with knowing tones. But she withdrew, and then she nodded lightly. It took a moment for everyone to understand, but when they finally get what the nod is for, their eyes widened slightly. The first person on earth to agree with being Verde's experiment! Is this world is going to end?!

"Just—don't force yourself, alright, Tsuru-san?" Fon says, and in returns, she beamed at him with such a bright look. "The one who knows my limit is my life, so don't worry. Thank you, though." Tsuru said; the smile still intact. In fact, Fon dare to swear that the smile become wider, growing more honest and more sincere. Ignoring the warmness that settled at his heart, he returns his gaze toward the sky.

"The atmosphere is so _full of love, _might as well shoot a human to make me feel manlier." The hitman who still closed his eyes groused. Tsuru mumbled something inaudible to anyone but Reborn who simply chuckled in amusement.

"What did she says?!" Skull interjected, looking curious all of the sudden. The stuntman shifted his weight forward, eyes shining all of the sudden. Reborn glanced at the younger one, before huffed. "Secret." He replied simply, as he looks at her eyes that avoid his gaze. He chuckled once again; suddenly very interested by the way she acts.

"Oh, shoot me _now._" Verde groaned in annoyance. He looks around as if he wanted to move somewhere that is not near them, but he didn't make the move to stands. Instead, he simply looks at the sky, wishing that something _interesting _would appear.

"Gladly." Reborn replied with a smirk, making the green haired man's eyebrows twitched in annoyance. "I don't mean it literally, Reborn." The man muttered, but instead Reborn's smirks widened slightly. "Do you? My guns can offer a pretty swift death." The black haired man's tone was, to be bluntly put, very _smug. _He looks downright mocking, you might as well flashes your own butt with your pants down and it will be subtler than the hitman.

But Verde simply sighed.

"Trigger happy maniac."

"A mad scientist."

"A sadist, through and through."

"And what, you're a masochist?" Cue the smirk from the black haired man.

"No, sane. Unlike the one who kill people with a smirk."

"Oh, and killing people with machine for the sake of _science_ is not mad?"

"Not mad. It's for science."

"Tell that to the _famiglia_ you destroyed." A snort.

"Well, you say that to the don you killed."

"Like you haven't killed a don either."

"That's enough." Tsuru's voice immediately broke their childish squabbling, black eyes and green eyes stares at her with something that the woman couldn't read. She clears her throat, before she hits the hitman's forehead and the back of Verde's head pretty _hard. _The resounding smack could be heard, only to be broken by the snort that came from Lal.

"You have my respect now, Tsuru." The blue haired female said as she flashes one of her thumb. Tsuru stares at her, determining whether Lal was mocking her or not, before she flashed one of her winning smiles.

Skull has a different reaction. From the look of his eyes, he was beyond _impressed. _No one usually able to shut up the two when they are locked in a heated arguments—childish or not—but seeing this woman able to do that with a tone don't-fuck-with-me and the hit that sounds…pretty painful, Skull couldn't help the admiration that began to bubble at the bottom of his heart.

"Can I call you _sorella? _Pretty please?" The biker immediately asks, without even thinking it through. Or maybe, not even thinking about it at all. Tsuru stares at him weirdly, her gaze asking if he was doing the right thing. "Skull, I'm younger than you." She stated. Skull simply grinned, and shrugged as if he doesn't care.

"Call her Tsuru-nee instead, Skull. Considering that she is Japanese…." Fon speaks up, watching the whole interaction. Tsuru nodded in agreement, before she placed her hand on top of Skull's head and gently petting the man's hair. It was soft, surprisingly, but Tsuru didn't say anything but to keep patting Skull's head. They can only imagine on how happy the biker could be.

Fon moved, softly like the wind that passes them silently, before giving Verde and Reborn the well deserve smack as well. He wasn't punishing them for their argument. As long as that argument is sound and logical, he would back off.

He hits them because it was so childish. Do they have no shame?

"Thank god this time is only a verbal one…" The black haired man murmured as his eyes trailed over the cottage. "God knows what might happen if they actually goes physical instead." This, in turn, makes Fon's head _ache _because of the possibility. It might happen. Especially if _he_ is here. They will probably trying to be subtle at destroying things, but Fon knows better, a train wreck is even subtler than _them. _

A snort comes from Mammon who also stays silent nearly the whole time. "Funny, I never pegged you to be the dreamer one, Storm." She mused, looking at the slightly tense martial artist. Fon simply chuckled, before he moved closer to Mammon and leaned his head against her shoulder. Mammon immediately stiffened, but Fon didn't budge at all.

Mammon sighed, knowing that she's fighting a losing fight.

"Oh, _fuck me sideways_, this is way too cheesy even for my taste." Verde complained once again. Reborn simply replied with, "That can be arranged." With a smile looks a tad bit feral from comfort. Verde lets out a breath he was holding, but before he is able to do anything, he could feel the pressure of someone's hand against his forehead.

"_Children." _Tsuru's tone turned dangerous, talking as if she is a boss. Well, technically, she is the boss between them, seeing that _Checkerface _actually interacted with her, but this is first. This turned more interesting for them, the bored _monsters. _

"Calm down, will you?" The brunette said instead. She removed her hand from Verde's forehead, and instead she snatches Reborn's fedora. She studies them for a moment, turning it around, before placing it back on Reborn's face. The hitman grumbled, but then left the world with yet another napping.

Fon smiled gratefully at the woman who looks stern yet kind at the same time. "I enjoy the silence, Tsuru-san. Thank you." He said sincerely.

The reply he got was yet another smile from the brunette.

"Your welcome." She replied easily.

Fon wonders why his heart tightens all of the sudden.

* * *

_On _the way to the apartment that he rented a few days ago, Hayato found himself walking through very familiar streets. It was the same like when he left the place a few months ago, but it still feels the same. Namimori's atmosphere shifted slightly, though, leaving it colder than usual. It's winter, sure, but it feels like _something _is going to _happen, _not because of the snow that began to pill up around the streets.

"Oh? Well, isn't it Gokudera? What a surprise!" Said a voice from his right side. Gokudera turns slightly. Lips pulled upward slightly, his smile was slowly turning into a fond smile that Gokudera reserve for anyone special, and this idiot in front of him are one of them.

Yamamoto Takeshi.

A very famous baseball player, he is even the ace of baseball on Namimori High. He is strong, a very good Rain guardian if he ever be one, and with his presence, it was hard to be angry. Gokudera supposed it come with the tranquillity, the effect of rain flame.

It was because of _her _that he could meet this baseball freak. The silver haired male sighed, a memory of their 'introduction time' was quite amusing to be remembered, he does always gets a bit…protective, if it's concerning his princess.

"_Gokudera Hayato, this is Yamamoto Takeshi. Takeshi, this is Hayato. I want you two to get along, okay?" Tsuru said, looking a tad bit serious than them. Hayato bits his lower lips, before looking at Takeshi with a snarl. _

"_If you hurt _hime_, I'll burn your body and throws the ashes to the sea just outside this town." Gokudera sneered, snorting internally as he sees the boy as a challenge to become a good right hand man for the woman. No one can stop him, dammit! Even she's not going to be someone important, he will always protect her. _

_This boy—Takeshi—simply laughed, except for the fact that he thought everything is a game and they are nothing but play pretend. This is no joke, Gokudera seethed internally. No one knows what happen when tomorrow comes—_

_But his shoulder tensed slightly in a ready-to-battle position._

_He would protect his sky._

_From mafia, from the outside world, from _her _demon. _

_Even if it means his own demise. _

He wouldn't tell more than that, but it's a pretty sobering thought. But Takeshi has another plan for his long-time friends. They have a lot to catch up, anyway.

"Okay. Let's eat sushi!" Without a warning, the dark skinned male dragged the man to the shop that he grew up with. Takesushi is its name. It was famous for being the most delicious sushi around Namimori. There are others, but no one cuts the fish like Tsuyoshi does. Precise, quick, and very tidy. Those, in it, are a display of true swordsmanship. Even if he held a knife, instead of a sword.

"Is your father home?"

"Yes, he is."

Yamamoto Tsuyoshi, an ex-assassin, famous for his Shigure Soen Ryu technique that cuts down everything on his path. He was vicious, bloodthirsty murderer according to what rumour says. The blood splatter on the wall after his kills says so, but the man that stands in front of Gokudera right now is anything but evil. He is a kind man, only stern when it came to swords or Takeshi who always seems reckless nowadays. He is the man that protects people that is dear to him with his sword technique. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi is that kind of man. Never vicious, just very protective. Not that Gokudera can blame him anyway, seeing that he does have the same protective streak toward the brunette or his comrades.

But his princess…

Gokudera simply shook his head.

"Oh, Gokudera! Long time no see! What kind of sushi do you want? It's in the house this time!" Tsuyoshi greeted with the wide grin that feels so bright. This man has the flame of the rain, but his presence is just like one with sun flame. It's intriguing, but Gokudera never cared that much.

"I want…" The silver haired teen looks up as if thinking, but Takeshi interrupting his train of thought by saying, "Anything is fine, dad!" and proceed to drag the Italian teen to his room.

Gokudera didn't say anything. The teen looks agitated, and he does look like he was rushing. Maybe running from…_something? _Or is this just his impatient trait that no one managed to discover? Anyway, Gokudera could only sigh in relief as the scent of the idiot filled his nostril, signalling that they finally arrived at the baseball maniac's room.

"It's really been awhile." The bomber mused as he took in his surroundings. Nothing much changed, except for the numerous posters on the wall that seems to be changing from baseball to famous swordsman. A lot of things are still on the floor, namely clothes and books that the Japanese teen couldn't find it in him to care enough to put them in its proper place.

But what shocked the Italian teen was the fact that the rack that used to filled up with the brim with baseball bat and the balls, it's now filled with nothing but a long sword, three short swords and plenty of _kunai. _The material glinted under the light of Takeshi's room, giving it a menacing edge to it. Gokudera couldn't say anything.

"You started practicing swords?" Gokudera asked as he studied the swords. It was similar to Asari Ugetsu, the first Rain Guardian of Vongola. Three short sword and a _nagakatana_. It looks real, that's why Gokudera puts himself into a defence position.

"Hm? Oh yeah, it started last year. I was…told about my dad's past, so then I decide to inherit Shigure Soen Ryu and then I was more interested in swords than baseball so…I quit." Takeshi shrugged, as if it's not important at all. But for Gokudera, it is.

"What will Tsu-_hime _said if she ever heard of this, huh?" The Italian asked with a light growl tainting his voice. Takeshi rubbed the back of his neck—a sign that he is nervous—before he laughed and he shook his head. "I'm sure it will be alright, Hayato! Don't be such a worrywart!" The black haired teen said as he slapped Gokudera's back, causing the teen to stumble forward.

"Why you—"

"Ahaha!"

And the atmosphere seems sobering up, stifling them with unknown force. They glance around, as if trying to find something missing. They know what's missing; they just don't want to voice it out. If they didn't say anything, they could pretend that _she _is here, just not in this room, maybe in the bathroom? Or maybe she's on her own house?

"Is it just me or Namimori got colder right now?" Gokudera mumbled, causing Takeshi to laugh softly at this.

"Yeah, it is. It's getting colder than usual."

* * *

**A/N ; **_**Nagakatana is the long sword that Asari Ugetsu has. Reborn said it's called nagakatana, so I used his term (:**_

**Sorry it takes longer than usual. I was swamped by things in real life…Not homework, but still take a lot of effort. But I'm glad I can finish this one, god. Once again, thank you for reading and review, fave, follow if you want to…? Yes! **

**Ciao~!**


	4. Beginning

**A/N : Aaaaah, I'm late by more than a week—I'm sorry! I'm still recovering from illness which caught me off guard, then there's also a writer block which force me to rewrite this chapter from the beginning aaand you guys don't want to see me whine. And for Nekohana-san, yes, Luce will appear but when or why…it's a secret! It wouldn't be fun if I said it now, right? (: Thank you for the faves, the follows (I still got mini-heart attack everytime I got the notification…) and the reviews! Thank you so much! **

**Warning : OOC characters, cursing, and Hibari.**

* * *

_And then the strongest seven finally receives their first…mission. _

Five days slowly pass. It was a long, long five days, but it was worth it. How so? Well, for one, the other people finally—_finally! In which Tsunayoshi immediately cheered in happiness—_warm up to her. It's not like they dislike her, especially hated her, no, it's just that out of everyone present, the group known about her less. The dark world speaks about everything, from the most dangerous thing ("Do you know that the boss from _that famiglia _is now running a business on trafficking?" "I know, Vendicare is going to mow their place, I can feel their coldness already!") Until the weirdest thing ("Do you know Reborn's pants size?" "Hm? Underpants or his suit pants?" "Under…pants?" "Idiot, I heard he's going _commando!")_ The underworld never stops talking, but no one speaks of the Listener, as if the world itself is trying to protect its angel.

Honestly? It makes them wary. This girl knows more about them than them about her, just because her 'talent' is listening to others. Be it rumor or a passing whisper, she'll listen. God, she listens to everything!

But three days ago, because of Fon (surprisingly) comes up with an idea that sounds pretty…well. He thinks that getting to know each other on a more personal level will do everyone good. He thought, hey, we are a team, why don't we just introduce ourselves better? Maybe that way, our team work will be better! Or so the martial artist suggested.

Much to his surprise, they all agree.

So this is what happens.

"_Mu~ I'm not paid nearly enough to even be doing this kind of childish activities!" Mammon groans out in annoyance. The braided man beside her chuckled behind his long sleeve, his other hand landed on top of her hood—er, I mean head. "Calm down, you agreed as well for this to happen after all." Fon said easily, amusement coloring his voice. "Yes, but I don't think I was going to be dragged into this as well!" She hissed, (somehow) looking annoyed (even with her hood covering nearly half of her face). _

"_Um, then, who should be next?" Tsuru asked. The other six's head turns at her, all was giving her the look of 'you-first'. The brunette groaned. She throws her hands to the air, jostling the scarf until it slides down slightly and revealing a pair of luscious lips behind the scarf. Those lips puckered up, a show that was intended to be a show of annoyance turns into a show of pure adorableness for some of the people in the team. _

"_I'm first, then?" Tsuru asked for confirmation, and everyone nodded. The famous Listener pouted—she's always the one who listen, rarely to talk about something especially herself, so this is rare and she doesn't know what she's going to say and—_

"_Start with your name." Reborn said, a hint of smug wrapping his voice. Tsuru huffed, before nodded in submission and she took a deep breath. _

"_My name is Tsuru, also known as Il Ascoltatore—or the listener. Real name is a secret, since I am very wary of the mafia world, and I was born in Japan." As she speaks, she moves her fingers as if she was counting the facts that she has spoken. Well, maybe she is counting the fact. "Err—what else? Anything you want to know? I'm running out of idea over what should I tell you…" The brunette mumbled, lowering her eyes to the table. _

"_Relax, we're here not to punish you or anything." Fon said as he chuckled softly at the youngest' act. He watches her spluttering about everything and he decides to press his finger to her lips, so she would shut up. Tsuru blinks, looks up to Fon, and nodded. "Good." The black haired man smiled in satisfaction. _

"_Why don't we start with you taking off your scarf and your hat?" Lal asked, her tone voicing her boredom. There was a glint of mischief as she spoke her request, because she feels the girl wouldn't even dare to take off the only thing that hid her identity. _

_Tsuru blinks. "It's okay, but please, no picture or anything, okay?" She said softly, and then she takes off her scarf at first. When the scarf finally freed her neck, everyone's attention immediately focused on the scar that took nearly from the left side of her neck to the right side of her neck. It was long and jagged. Sure, it's healed, but it looks _ugly.

_Next, she took off her hat. Of course, there's nothing strange, except for the hair that somehow manage to defy gravity. This hair, though—Lal narrowed her eyes. _

"_If I don't know any better, I'd say that you're the female version of Vongola Primo." The dark skinned female points out, making Tsuru blinks once again. "I am?" She asked incredulously. Lal nodded, clipped and short like the way she talks, and Tsuru replied with yet another blinking. _

"_What's with the scar, Tsuru?" Verde asked, his curiosity captured by the cut. It was ugly and looks uneven, but to professional eyes like his, it was clear that it was done by a professional. But if the cut is as deep as Verde thinks, wouldn't she die immediately? _

"_That's a story that I will tell another day." She replied with a smile. Tsuru could feel the dissatisfaction that fills the air, but they all nodded. They would reach that point someday. Someday not today, it seems. _

_Verde sighed. Oh, curiosity killed the cat, and nothing can bring it back right now. _

"_Can you not wear the scarf and the hat around us, _nee-san?"_ Skull asked, eyeing the girl who turns her head to look at him. "Of course, just in this house, or if you mind then—" Before the biker could even ramble about everything, Tsuru laughed. _

"_Sure. I can do that." She said between her laughter. Skull brightened, his cheek fills out with pretty red. _

"_Now, enough about me! How about you guys? Is this only the sky Q and A or something?" Tsuru asked with a pout, finally realizing a possibility that she is tricked just to reveal herself. Reborn smirked, and nodded. The brunette paled slightly. _

"_Now, now, we just want to know you, after all." Fon said with a smile, although the smile was tainted with no small amount of mischief. The other nodded; their lips mirroring Fon's although it's on their own way. Reborn smirks evilly, Mammon lips twitched upward (not as a smile, but not as a smirk either), Lal flashes out a very, very evil grin, Skull grinned brightly, Verde smirks just like Reborn (are they brothers or something?) and Tsuru was there, laying her face to the table. _

_Everyone simply laugh, and it was good. _

_Strangely things began to…slowly turns normal. _

But normal was never one of the words to describe them.

So, slowly, slowly but it _happens, _they became even more comfortable around her. While the other still hid so many things from each other, Tsuru who supposed to be the one who wary other so much because she's practically cannot use any weapon at all—believe them, they tried—was showing so much acceptance and trust to them. I mean, come on, showing that kind of wound to a stranger—six strangers, even!—must have took a lot of courage. That's why they all started to calm down, not being as rude as before, although some couldn't just help but to make some comments to each other and ended up in a fight—it happens once or twice.

The live inside the cottage itself is comfortable. There is enough room for the seven of them, each got their own room. Everything is enough for seven—no, actually, this place is enough for _eight, _but there are only seven of them right now, right?

("Do we have another one coming in late, or something?" "Pssh. No. In the letter, that man writes it for the strongest _seven. _Think, _Dame-_Tsuru." "Wha—Well, sorry! I don't remember receiving any letter, Mr. Smartass.")

But of course they just thought it would be where Checkerface would sleep if the man show up to stay overnight but that's practically impossible, right? Right.

Tsuru, somehow, managed to get the position of the cottage's cook. One time she accidentally create something delicious, now the other wanted more and forced the 'cook' title to the female, much to the other's amusement and Tsuru's chagrin.

("I told you it was an accident—" "Well, you can't lie." "But Lal—FON! Stop laughing and help me!" "I-I'm sorry, Tsu, it's just that—pfftt—" "FON!")

So now, five days together, and they honestly could only feel normalcy. As normal as their situation is, anyway.

Into day six, a voice calls out obnoxiously.

"There's a new message for the Sky~!" The voice said. Tsuna who was relaxing on the sofa blinks. She did not expect anyone to visit, let alone calling for her! She doesn't know whether this man—she thinks this one is a…man?—is desperate or just plain insane. Probably the latter.

"Reborn, please get up, there's someone waiting for me…" The girl squirmed as the man on her lap sleeping away without a single care to the world. Although, looking by how that lips of his turns into a smirk, he was very much awake. This infuriates the female, of course.

She lifted his head and gently drops his head to the sofa below (this somehow earned a whine from the man), and then she grabbed her cap and her scarf. She slung and tidied her scarf into her usual style, then put the cap on her head. Fon looks at her with worry, but said nothing.

"Yes?" Once she opens the door, she tilted her head in confused manner. This man—she doesn't know him. Though, as if sensing her thought, he smiled widely—it looks very unnatural—before handing an envelope. A rectangular envelope, fit for one letter. When she turns it to see what is this and who's it for, her eyes narrowed at the word 'Mission' and '_I Prescelti Sette_'. She sighed, before walking back to the room where everyone gathered.

She could feel the normalcy that they established slowly fading away.

"Tsu, what is that, if I may ask?" Fon asked as he caught the sight of her. She removes the scarf and the hat first, hanging them beside Reborn's fedora before returning to her previous seat. Tsuru moved her head slightly to glance at the Chinese man, before smiled mysteriously.

"The only thing you've been waiting for, a mission."

As those words left her lips, all the other six immediately tensed up. The one that was laying around immediately sits, the one who was so far away moves closer, and the one who wasn't paying attention suddenly finds the female is the only interesting things around.

Tsuru chuckled.

"Well? What are you waiting for? Read them." Mammon hissed. Tsuru nodded, knowing better than to make a remark against the impatient Mammon. No one stands between Mammon and her money, I say. Everyone who does stands between them, never live to tell the story.

With nimble fingers and precision, she opens the envelope cleanly. As she guessed, there's only one letter inside. A simple paper, nothing extraordinary but the content is precious. Tsuru can feel it, the vibe of the importance of the content.

With a simple movement, the letter opened. Nothing greeted her eyes but words and words, no flames, no nothing. Simply words about a mission that they might do—not her, though. She could already feel the rejection of her coming along with them. Sigh, such a shame, the cottage is nice but it will get boring someday, you know.

"Dear _I Prescelti Sette._" Tsuru reads aloud, catching everyone's attention. Mammon snorted, mumbling, "Strongest seven? Are you sure?" but no one hears her so no one actually responded to her words. Tsuru let her eyes scans the rest first, nodding to herself before continuing.

"_It has come to my attention that a _famiglia _in the far south of Italy has been causing disturbance. Many complain about so, and it makes my walks not very pleasing at all. Destroy the _famiglia _at all cost. The payment that will be given is-" _

When Tsuru mentions the number, one could pinpoint this moment as the moment where Mammon's interest are captured.

"_Destroy the _famiglia, _raise chaos, the usual stuff you guys like. Have fun! Checkerface." _Tsuru concluded, and then she lifted her eyes to watch the expression of her fellow team. Reborn was smirking like a hyena, actually managing to look so mischievous yet still as suave as usual. Verde was silent, lips pulled tight but by the glint of his glasses, he does like the sound of this mission. Lal doesn't give a fuck. Skull looks terrified by Reborn's aura. Fon still smiling, although the smile has gained a dangerous edge his smile usually lacks. And Mammon actually smiled—but she's probably thinking about the money she'll gain if she takes the job. It was interesting. Very interesting.

"I take it that you guys choose to accept it?" The brunette speaks up, earning an almost synchronized nod. The female nodded back at them, agreeing with their choice. As the leader—no, she's actually never the leader of this rowdy bunch.

"Then, I'll give the command to Reborn, since you guys actually listen to the guy." She slides the letter closer to the hitman who was staring at her with amusement, which she replied with a grin of her own and a strange glint appeared on her eyes.

"Fine. As the leader, then, I'll order you to stay here." Reborn said to Tsuru who simply nodded at the order. It was inevitable, really. Her skill is no active skill. If this mission includes something like stealing secret, then Tsuru will be on her way. But since it's going to be drop-and-destroy kind of mission, it's safer to stay at the cottage.

"Look, Tsuru-_nee, _the bright side is that you don't have to meet these peop—ah-a—a-a-a-ah—Lal-_senpai _that hurtssss!" Skull yelled out as Lal pulled his ear. He was blabbing nonsense and he needed to be punished at that. Tsuru laugh merrily, but then she stiffened as she felt the unknown feeling of danger. This was noticed by Fon who said nothing, and Tsuru as well kept her silence. It's better to let them do the job freely. They need this, she could tell.

"Let's go tomorrow, and make the strategy now. Tsuru, you're cooking." Reborn commanded. Tsuru nodded as she raised herself from her chair and then she walks toward the kitchen, while the other hurrying around to prepare for the meeting.

"What should I cook…" Tsunayoshi mumbled as she looks over the ingredients at the refrigerator. It's enough to make a simply Japanese food, but will they like it?

"They will." A voice suddenly said, and this caused Tsuna to turns around immediately. There, Fon stands in his full robe, looking at her with a smile on his lips. The brunette pouted. She stands up immediately, patting her skirt for removing invisible dust, before looking at Fon with questioning gaze. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be talking about the strategy with the other?" She asked. Fon caught her questioning look, and his smile turns a shade softer. "I am worried about you, actually. Are you okay being alone in here, Tsu?"

Tsuna's lips twitched upward and making a full-blown bright smile, apparently touched by his concern. She shook her head gently, trying to appease the man's worry. "I will be fine. Don't worry about it! Worry about you guys, not me." She said, after that a soft giggle left her lips.

Fon, mesmerized for a moment, smiled warmly at her before he turns around. "What are you talking about, Tsu? We're the strongest seven, are we not?" He said without turning around, his back facing her, before he walks toward the other comrades who are still arguing about nonsense.

For Tsunayoshi, Fon looks so very cool, just now.

* * *

"Hey, since it's been a while you visit Namimori, how about a walk around the city?" Takeshi asked as he watched Gokudera who looks around with something that not even Takeshi himself could decipher. If there is one word that the Japanese teen would use to describe his gaze, it would be _nostalgia _and _pain. _But for why—Takeshi doesn't know. He's never away from Namimori after all.

"Hayato!" Takeshi calls out once again, and this time Gokudera jolted up, as if he has been rudely awaken. Well, to be honest, he was simply thinking on how he missed all of this. The silent city of Namimori—well, actually, not silent at all. Noisy, but peaceful enough to spend old days without getting heart attack, maybe one or two times. Tops.

"Sorry Takeshi. It's just that—" Gokudera's words were cut off by Takeshi usual carefree laugh. "It's okay. I know you miss this place." The black haired male said with a wide grin. Gokudera suddenly feel his usual itch to get dynamite and to bomb the idiot.

He held the urge, though.

"Yes, yes, Mr. Know-it-All, tell me, what is my lucky day now?" The silver haired man sarcastically asked, which once again replied with a set of carefree laughter. "It's today! Because I'm going to take you to a tour around Namimori!" Takeshi said, his voice bright, and he drags the silver down the stair, saying bye to his father who was confused to see Gokudera getting dragged around, and then stands in front of Takesushi with his wide grin and a confused Gokudera.

"Hey! Who said I agree to this?!" The bomber yelled in annoyance, which the other teen replied with, "because I said so~" and then he drags Gokudera once again, much to the Italian annoyance. It was bad enough to stand beside Yamamoto, letting the teen dragging him around is just cemented the knowledge that Gokudera is still shorter than the ex-jock! Ugh, this is stupid.

"For causing disturbance in Namimori…" said a familiar voice, and somehow shiver runs down their spine. Could it be…?

"I'll bite you to death." Black haired male wielding a pair of tonfa appeared in front of them, their faces paled a shade before it returns to its healthy color. Gokudera sets out his dynamites, four in each hands, while Yamamoto simply laugh, as usual.

Hibari looks around, as if looking for something.

"Where' the other herbivore?" The ex-prefect asked as he still letting his eyes wanders around. There are only this two, he didn't feel another people's presence at this moment…Is that herbivore away or something?

"Which herbivore are you talking about?" Yamamoto asked, catching Hibari's confused gaze as confusing. There's only the two of them, who is he talking about?

"The fluffy one." Hibari replied, short and formal as usual. Gokudera who finally understand which herbivore Hibari means began to look at the ex-prefect strangely.

"Hibari, you didn't know?"


	5. First

**A/N : I'm sorry sorry sorry for being so laaate! It's been more than a week, yes? I'm really sorry, everyone. Really. :C Oh, by the way, I'm open if you guys want to be my beta or something. I notice that my writing isn't perfect, so if you guys want to proofread my story, then just shoot me a PM, I think? Oh, and thank you for the follows and faves and review! I didn't expect them to reach more than fifty, and this thing is still not even halfway done! So thank you, thank you so much! You guys are too kind, far too kind C: **

**Now, enjoy the chapter, I guess? (:**

* * *

_And the strongest six goes for the mission…in the morning. _

"Can you settle down for a goddamn second?!" Lal snapped, looking at the woman who smiled sheepishly. It was morning, strategies are ready and set, and they are ready to roll. Tsuru, being the only one who's not going to go on the mission doesn't have anything to do. They have eaten (courtesy to Tsuru who insist on cooking or she'll go _nuts_), and now they are checking over their weapons.

Tsuru doesn't go to the mission, and this is why when they all checking their weapons, she's simply hovering over them, looking over their shoulders with worry rolls from her like waves. They know she meant well, but this is getting annoying!

They aren't called the strongest for nothing!

"I'm sorry, I have nothing to do, and…" The brunette's words trailed off, looking to the side with shame clear on her face. She tugged on her scarf (that she wears because they are outside, and the scar on her neck isn't the prettiest thing) upward, covering her lips just so that they couldn't see her lips tugged downward in concern.

She felt something—her intuition is going crazy with the possibility of _something _happening. It's not clear, nothing that dangerous as well, but it's still maddening her and no one could understand this feeling, this feeling of suffocation of knowing something that might happen but couldn't specify it, curse her intuition curse them to high hell—

"Are you okay?" Mammon asked as she approached the brunette. She looks like she's in pain, and by the looks on her face, she's anything but fine. Mammon sighed. The woman in robe pulled the female forward, and gently knocking their forehead together. The illusionist stares at amber eyes, and smiled slightly.

"There's nothing wrong with trusting your instinct, you know," Mammon murmured, watching the brunette's eyes widened slightly. Of course it had to be instinct. The illusionist heard awhile back that every single sky flame user are equipped with instinct, intuition. It varies, of course, but looking at how Tsuru looks like in pain and she looks like she wanted to throw a tantrum, she could bet that the female's intuition is a good one. No, a very strong one, it seems. It almost looks like she could predict the _future_.

"Thanks, Mammon." Tsuru whispered, and Mammon nodded before she pulled back. She raised her forefinger, before she smirked at the scream that Skull let out as he runs around like a chicken losing their head.

Checking equipment, done.

The brunette let out a sigh and an exasperated(ly fond) smile before she walks backward, just so that she wouldn't annoy the other. She hadn't gained a full walk when an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her backward, letting out a squeak that was immediately covered by another hand.

She looks up, and pouted when a pair of dark eyes and brown eyes gazes at her. The former's gaze was adorned with something that Tsuru would say as _sadism, _while the latter's gaze was beautifully named as _worries. _

Though, why would Fon be worried?

"We heard your earlier conversation with Mammon," Reborn said, and the arm around her waist tightened slightly. She walks backwards just to make herself slightly comfortable, but then she found herself trapped against the two men. She sighed; she's not going to be able to run away, isn't she?

"Correct." The hitman purred, looking absolutely gleeful at that moment. A shiver ran down her spine, and Fon simply sighed before he tapped the female's upper arm.

"Are you okay being left alone, Tsu?" Fon asked as he studied the female's expression. There was concern, worries, annoyance, loneliness, but mostly acceptance—maybe she doesn't like it, but she have to, she doesn't want to be a burden in the field, so she rather stay here, alone, forsaking her fear for the best of the team? Is that what passed her mind right now?

"Oh, Tsu…" The brunette looks away stubbornly, looking annoyed now for being read so easily. Is she really an open book, though? None of her 'clients' before ever said that…Well, this is awkward. They should've said that she has the worst poker face ever existed in this dark world!

"I'm going to be fine, Fon." Tsuru mumbled. She stands on her tiptoes (good thing she decide to forgoing her wedges and opting for walking around barefoot right now) and she whispers to Fon's ear, "It's going to be lonely, I'm already used to how noisy the place is but…" Tsuru paused, letting the words sink into the man's head, "It's going to be okay. You guys will return, and it's going to be fine, right?" The brunette continues, before she took a deep breath and kissed the Chinese man on the cheek.

Not noticing the murderous expression that passed the hitman's face.

"…Alright." Fon sighed, conceding with the female's words. It's not like they won't return, they will, they will need this place to recuperate, and of course because they want to be with the sky, although no one wants to say a thing.

"Alright." Tsuru mirrored, her lips twitched upward as a smile. The brunette, though, realizing the _sulking _hitman behind her and giggled. She stands on her tiptoes once again and kissed the man's forehead, ignoring on how surprised the black haired man looks like. "For good luck." She said simply, her smile turned even warmer.

Reborn scoffed as he flicked the female's forehead. Ignoring the pained cries that came from Tsuru, he smirked at the girl. "If it's one thing that I do not need, it's luck." The man says in condescending tone, and Tsuna let out a sigh of annoyance. Of course the man would be _that _arrogant.

The man scoffed, before he unwarps the arm around her waist and pushed Tsuru forward gently. The female stumbled, turning back just to glare at Reborn who simply smirked at her, before Skull came to her and screaming "Tsuru-nee—", as dramatic as usual. Reborn rolled his eyes, and he eyed the man beside him who still looks nervous.

"Bad feeling?" Reborn murmured. Fon nodded, his eyes still following Tsuru's lithe body. "It's not us that are going to get the trouble, it's her…" The martial artist whispered, eyes hardening at the thought of the girl getting hurt. It's only been less than a week, but the girl just has that sort of effect on people—making them care about her without them knowing _anything. _If the look that Reborn throws at her is any indication, even the strongest fall for her.

Not the fall in love thing that exist between lover, but the free falling toward the protective (probably over) feeling, the care that exist between the closest people with the strongest bond. Like the feeling that you can trust them with your life and they will trust you as well, the feeling of knowing someone like the back of your own hand. That sort of thing—and the girl made them, the hardened killers, to feel like this.

"Let's finish this quickly." Fon whispered, voice gentle like the wind blowing through the chime. Reborn nodded, for once actually agreeing to the martial artist. It's not like he felt something, but there's a slight discomfort…Maybe the girl is in danger, but he actually knew who the culprit is so he doesn't feel that much of unease? It would explain so much…

But who knows about this place, than them?

Unless…

Reborn narrowed his eyes.

The black haired hitman saunters over Lal who is somehow still checking over her rifle. That rifle has gone checking nearly six times, but she wasn't stopping anytime! If you ask her, it's probably going to be some bullshit answer like she doesn't need it to jam, but even if the rifle is jammed, probably she could just steal the rifle from the other _famiglia, _no?

(Don't tell anyone, it was her student's rifle and she likes to carry it to calm herself. To remind that she still has home even after all of the mess she ended up with, and she still have a soul to talk to, to calm her down. Just—that rifle might as well like one's necklace that reminds them of home. Home, a place where she can be herself, where mask is not needed but to be thrown away in the throes of warmth)

"Lal." Reborn greeted, as he tilted his fedora slightly lower than usual. The shadow of the brim of the fedora cover his eyes, but he didn't care that much. The sun light starts to bother him. No, not because he's a vampire or anything like that, he's just more comfortable within the darkness than under the light. He usually dwells with how dark the world is (and how copper smelt, how screams echoes within silent hallway, those red, all red, all very _red, so very pretty, indeed_)

"Yes?" Lal asked, as she tilted her head slightly to look over her shoulder. She tilted her head upward when she realized that it was Reborn who's talking, a man taller than she is by a few centimeters, not a lot but enough for her to tilt her head upward to look at him in the eyes. It annoys her, but what can she do, exactly? Nothing. Nothing at all.

"You did burn your letter, yes?" Reborn asked with narrowed eyes, hand twitching for a gun. But he knows Tsuru is watching their interaction, and he really doesn't need a lecture from the woman. It's annoying, and so he rather watches his attitude than hearing her talk because goddamn if she can _talks. _

"Uh." Comes the so-called intelligent reply that Lal let out. Come to think of it, she only left her letter on the table, not even bothering to burn it because she was going to archive it, just in case something bad happened to her and if she kept it, she probably have evidence to be held against Checkerface.

(Little did she know that the paper is not important. Not anymore, anyway)

"I think _he _is going to pay us attention when you're gone." The black haired man said, tone low and all that, as if they were sharing a secret. Well, technically, they are, but details, right?

"I fear for Tsuru somehow." The CEDEF member said as she sighed as the memory of her student surge from the back of her mind. The endearing idiot is actually a very good student, with a few smack and tortures along the way and he's already one of the best, making Lal snorted in her memory.

"Fear for yourself, you idiot." Reborn said with a knowing smile. Ignoring Lal's cries to stop, the man simply walks back toward Fon who is now gazing at him confusedly. Well, it was to be expected but still…

"She's going to get a visit later." The hitman said, a snort left once again. Fon sighed in relief, before he watches the female interacts with Verde who is now smiling slightly and the very whiny Skull whined for the Listener's attention for every five seconds.

"Children." Reborn muttered, and Fon couldn't agree more.

"We're going now." Fon said with a smile to Tsuru who smiles back warmly at him. They already carry their own weapon (minus Mammon who dwells with illusion and Fon who does martial art) and now waiting for their time to say goodbye.

She stays silent, but her actions say the thing that she wanted to say.

A kiss on the martial artist's forehead, to say _please be careful_.

A kiss on the hitman's cheek, to say _stay safe_.

A pat on the biker's head, to say _be strong_.

A hug on the scientist torso; _let no danger touch you_, _please. _

A touch forehead-to-forehead with the illusion, _take care_.

And lastly, a pat on the shoulder with the CEDEF member, _I hope you'll be okay_.

"I hope everyone will be well on the mission." Tsuru whispered with a grin on her face. The six nodded, a blood lust is still there but it was tainted by the softness of their slowly thawing heart because of this woman, the woman who looks after them whether they like it or not, and they don't mind. Actually, don't mind.

"We're the strongest six, Tsuru-nee! Of course we're going to be okay!" Skull exclaimed, and Tsuru replied with a laugh, a light laugh like the sound of the chime softly blown by the wind. "Of course!" The brunette replied, and she waved energetically until the last of their back disappeared beyond horizon.

Once they are gone, Tsunayoshi dropped her act. It was a tad bit tiring, because of the fact that Mammon actually knows. Does she look so pale? No one says a thing, so she assume she looks normal. Mammon is probably more attuned to her instinct more than anyone, and this makes Tsuna wonders.

"Now it's so silent, I miss the noise." Tsuna whispered, looking around with an obvious longing clouding her eyes. It doesn't take a genius to see that the female already misses them, her elements, but of course, being a sky that was told to encompass all of them, she held on. Stays silent, be strong for her elements, said nothing about her feelings and just—stands. Stands when no one can, stands when all odds are turned against her, stands when everything looks impossible and—

Tsuna sighed. Her thought is really loud when there are no noises around her.

"Now what should I do…" Tsuna mumbled. Well, the place cannot be called dirty. The place is clean, neat, and also very comfortable. The other team members use this place to escape the dirty reality they lived in, so this place suited their need for escape. So in other words, she couldn't do any cleaning, because the place is already sparkling _clean. _(It's really because of Verde who couldn't stand dirtiness at all, seeing that he lived in a lab where everything is so clean you can actually watch your reflection on the floor.)

Well, she can do baking. But making something only for herself are not fun, it's better if there's people to share it with. Contrary to what people believe, eating sweets only by yourself are not _that _fun. Some might say that it is, but for Tsuna who had lived alone for nearly all her lives—except for _that time, _she thought bitterly—eating sweets are best if they are eaten together. Particularly with people who cared about you.

She sighed, once again. It's been awhile since she's alone like this.

Then she could do reading. It's been awhile since she brushed up her language skill (being a listener means that you have to learn nearly languages in existence just because the people that approached her or had hear her legend is not all from Japan or Italy. There had been a German man who caught her off guard before, so she figures she have to learn languages or she could've listened to a secret but not knowing a single thing. That would be sad.) and she starting to lose grip at English.

With that in mind, she pulled a book in English from shelf, then she sits on one of the couch that was available in the 'media room' (It's just a room filled with two couch, a carpet on the floor and an old TV that no one bother to turn on). She opened the book, humming to herself as she reads the words nearly aloud.

Never to notice a pair of eyes that had been watching her all this time.

The mission has gone very well. The _famiglia _is not that strong. They are all bark and no bite, actually. It's strange on how this _famiglia _manages to annoy the other because of the bullshit they spouted. But they are gone and wiped from the map, so the mission is done. They can return to the cottage immediately.

There's something nagging at the back of Fon's head, the thought still hadn't left him even when he was in the middle of ass-kicking the opposing _famiglia_. It was weird, it's been screaming the word of Tsuru in danger, even though the hitman said that someone is just going to visit but he knows that the female is weak like a normal civilian. Only her reputation saves her so far, but how about right now, when she lived with six famous killers? It would not take a genius to say that she's in danger now, seeing that the enemies would think that she held their secrets now.

Well, technically she isn't, but hey. No one knows anything, right?

"Let's return. I'm worried." Fon murmured, getting a nod from Reborn. They are tired, after all, so returning to the cottage would be the best idea ever right now.

Though, when they reached the cottage, one thing passed their mind.

"_What the fuck?" _

(Fon's thought is slightly different, since he doesn't curse that much, but hey, you got the idea right?)

* * *

"Didn't know what?" Hibari demanded. His posture becomes tense, like he's expecting an attack. There's no attack, the prefect knows, it's just his instinct screams at him to prepare for anything. It seems that the news that Gokudera is going to say is something that he doesn't want to hear. At all.

"That she's—_hime _is—" Gokudera trailed off, as if he couldn't say what happened to his _hime. _He still hadn't accepted it fully, dammit! It's not something that he could say freely, it's something that still weight heavily in his mind, and—and—

"Let it go, Hibari. It's something that you will learn sooner or later." Yamamoto says. His lips are tugged downward—a very rare gesture for the man who always smiles—but no one says a thing. The thoughts in their head are far too loud to even notice the slight chance at the ex-jock.

"When you meet her, tell her I'm going to bite her to death." Hibari shoves his tonfa to its place, before he turns back. The jacket on his shoulder remained in his place as he jumped toward one of the house's roof, before he scoffed.

He will bite her to death. He would surely do so.

"It's not like she's _around _anyway." Gokudera snarled angrily, before he took a deep breath. It would do no good if he lashed out here, a place so precious to his _hime, _it would no good at all. She would be angry for sure, if he destroy this place with his dynamites.

"Haha." Yamamoto laughed sheepishly. He really doesn't know what to say. Gokudera really looks pissed right now, and he really doesn't want to overstep his lines. He knows how angry Gokudera could go if someone brought the topic of _her _up. _She _became a taboo that neither ever talks about, so when Hibari asks about where _she _is…

Let's just say that it would make Gokudera _livid. _

"Gokudera-saaaaaaan!" A voice calls out from a distance, causing the silverette to turns around slightly. He watches a mop of red hair approaching slowly, and his eyes widened slightly at the sight of his partner-in-crime (no, not in actual crime, just—they have a lot in common, so might as well call him his partner in crime or something) and he smiled slightly as he waved.

"Yo, Shoichi!"

* * *

**A/N : I hope this chapter is acceptable. It doesn't really explain anything… I guess. I'm sorry for making you guys wait for so long… I'm kind of busy right now, a lot of project happens, and it might cause the chapter to come slightly…even later than usual. Just expect a chapter once a week, good enough? C: So, thank you for reading! Do review, tell me things that I do wrong (be it grammar or characteristic) or just annoy me in general, it's alright! I welcome it all! Sort of! /kicked**

**Ciao!**

**P.S. I have a tumblr now! I do have one before, but I have one that filled with my writing, and one is personal. The personal one is reioth . tumblr . com, while for the writing one is rewritethings . tumblr . com. You can request one shots there, I won't mind! C: **


	6. Arriving

_A/N : I did not regret uploading this chapter pretty late. No, not sorry at all. Because ya know, there's this person that I talked this past week, and I found out that their birthday is sort of today! But due to timezone difference, it's probably going to be tomorrow in my time or something. I feel like this chapter can be like a gift for them, so yes. _

_**ADDBaby**-san, happy birthday. It's an honor for me to know you, and please feed me with more ideas XD your ideas are awesome, you are awesome, please be my friend (sends you lots of hearts)_

_Aaaand officially 100+ faves and 140+ follows, man i feel loved. Thank you (send you cookies) does...4.5k+ enough for my apology on being late...? _

**Warning : Fluff, Too much moments of Arco27 (especially Ver27, Fon27, and R27), Bad grammar, sad attempt at humor (as always), OOC, OH AND CURSE. (Reborn has a potty mouth, others too!) **

_Replies for review and special shout out are at the bottom! Without further ado, enjoy C:_

* * *

_Creak…_

Tsunayoshi's head turns to the door, eyes already brighten at the noise of door opening. They are back, finally they are back! Well, she's not exactly lonely, since she does have a company right now, but even one person couldn't fill the noises that _six people _make! It's lonely; her thought is way too loud, it won't stop echoing, but—now—

They are—

When she was going to open her mouth to greet them, three words passed their lips, stopping her immediately.

"What the fuck?"

Well, she sort of can explain about this.

You see, a few days ago, when the others are just starting the mission—meaning it was three? Four days ago?—and she was lonely. She can't clean (because it's already clean), she can't bake (can only cook, it's lonely to bake alone), and she couldn't exactly annoys the others so, she settled into the next best thing, which is reading a book to re-learn her language.

She knows someone was watching her. Living in a world filled with mafia and assassins did that to you. The brunette can hear the breathing of said person, the soft scratching of cloth against woods, can just _hear _the person silent footsteps, slowly approaching her, it's getting louder, louder, _louder—_

And when she turns around, book heavy when she held them between her hands, lifted above her head menacingly, she found herself staring into familiar eyes. Well, she sort of knows that this person isn't supposed to be here; after all it wasn't this person who is chosen by _monsieur _Checkerface…

But hey, it's lonely in the cottage, so she welcomed this person with a smile, and they talked. They just—talked. Well, she's doing her sort of job right now, listening to the person's babble about someone that she knows. What a coincidence! The person is one of the summoned one! Not. She knows that this person chases after the female just to demand explanation, so hey. Not her problem.

(And apparently, the female that the person mentioned left the letter about the location in open _space. _What does she gain by doing that?! Tsuru swears, that female is badly influenced by a man that she supposed to call as _father_)

But, looking at her team mates' expression, she supposed she should've given them the warning. She (slightly) regretted this, but this look of theirs? It's priceless! One would pay a lot just to see Fon gaping like a fish! Oh, and Verde looking _this _bewildered. Or Mam—_Viper _for once looks surprised and Skull is…being Skull.

She suspected that Reborn knows this person, as he simply snorted but the narrowing of his eyes tells a lot. Like, maybe Reborn is suspicious of this person? That could be a possibility. Well, the mist flame can 'create something from nothing', so it's not wrong for Reborn to be suspicious of the person. But looking at Lal, the one who actually knows the person who simply groaned in resignation, as if she already knows that this person would be here, but did not inform the others!

Hey, a little warning would be nice! She was going to get a heart attack, okay!

…Well, she exaggerated. Slightly.

(Actually, a lot—her intuition already warned here that some_one _is coming, and so, she's not that surprised.)

(But hey, a warning would be nice, right?)

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Ah, there it is. Reborn's very rude but very to the point way to ask something. This time, though, the word is hissed as if he's not willing to actually say them, but for the sake of the silence that's silently enveloping the room, she bets. It was silent because of the awkwardness, well—nearly half of them don't know her companion, so that should've been…expected?

She certainly doesn't expect the awkwardness to be like this, though.

Her companion opened their mouth, looking like they want to object and throw tantrum—which is to be expected, since Reborn was pretty rude—but before they could even breathe a word, the blue haired female beat them to it.

What is it with people and cutting another's word? This is getting ridiculous.

"What are you doing here, stupid student?" The woman asked, looking like she might snapped any moment. Uh oh. Tsuna does thought that the woman is already…accepting the situation, which is—really, let's be honest here—inevitable. The student wants to follow the teacher forever. The teacher does not want to, but the student is very persistent. Too persistent, perhaps. But, this is not her problem.

"Lal, kora!" The person greeted the female happily. Well, this person is one happy-go-lucky guy, so she does expect him to be…very happy. Very smile-y. Even though it didn't really suit the situation right now—see, this situation is what one might call 'utter chaos', even if there's no furniture is flying above her head right now. But her team is very tired, and the man is very happy; and tired people plus a happy man does not equal calmness.

It usually equal _madness. _

And she still couldn't find it in herself to care.

So she stands up, instead choosing to approach the other. They seems to be still in a trance, probably from the shock of seeing yet another man that they do not know, and—probably it's Tsuna's fault for being so friendly with a stranger…? Maybe they are worried?

She has intuition to predict future, not to read minds!

(Or probably she does, but she doesn't know it yet.)

She stands in front of Verde who looks at her curiously. Yes, it is pretty unusual, seeing that she's more comfortable with Fon or Reborn, but she wants to see it from another perspective! She can practically imagine the hitman scoffed as he says the mission is boring, and Fon is probably going to smile but she could probably feel the mischievousness that's dancing on his eyes—yeah, she rather hear from another perspective.

"Hey," She greeted him breathlessly, grinning brightly because she could already feel the void that she felt yesterday filled with their presence, calming her down with them being there, just there is enough, and this time she actually feels gratitude for _monsieur _Checkerface for actually choosing her for the job. She needs a lot of noises, and the man knows so.

A mind reader, that _monsieur _is.

He nodded at her, a sign of him actually listening to her. Great! "How's the mission?" Although it still held the hint of euphoria from earlier, her voice is now light and warm. She really wanted to know on how the mission is going. She knows it's going well. Hey, they are still standing and looks like they hardly broke a sweat (but she knows better, knows the limping that Skull tried to hide, knows the exhaustion that swamped their bodies, knows the hint of pain that Fon tries to hide, knows that Verde and Mammon is trying to hide something—a wound?—from her, and she knows that Reborn is tired to the point he could _kill _for a bed right now) and she knows that they are strong, but still…

She's feeling _slightly _worried…

"It went well." Verde replied easily. His green eyes shone with something that Tsuna couldn't point out, but she shrugged it inwardly. Maybe it's just his usual want-to-know-about-her-flame gaze? She's still not that good to read gazes, so she wouldn't say anything about this one…

Verde sighed inwardly. This female—there was something about her that is interesting. That feeling hasn't gone away even after days spent with her, but he couldn't point it out. Is it the way that she can practically calms them down only with staring them down? Is it the way that her smile would brighten their dark, dark hearts? Is it the way that she accepts everyone, to their faults and their pain? Is it—is it because she looks oh so familiar?

He really doesn't know. Even before meeting her in the first day, she felt familiar. Like a presence that one would notice from the back of their minds, a forgotten memory, if one might say so, but he wasn't the number one scientist for nothing! He knows his memories are good, _perfect, _even. So forgetting this person—is someone tampering with his memories? No one is allowed to touch his head, though.

The enigma that is the sky flame user, called Tsuru by them.

"Are you hurt somewhere?" The brunette in front of him asked; eyes bright with concern and worries. The green haired chuckled, lips tugged upward slightly as something warm filled his heart, his supposed to be cold, _dead _heart. He ruffled the top of her head—earning whines and pout from the girl—before he shook his head lightly.

"No. I'm really tired, but I'm alright." He replied. The female beamed at him, her smile actually turns even brighter and a shade warmer, making him stares for a moment, making his world stop spinning for a moment, but he shook his head to snap out of his trance and he sighed loudly.

It's probably his exhaustion talking.

There's no way he is feeling this—_human _emotion for someone he knew for less than a week!

Fon watched the interaction between Verde and Tsuru with a light frown. It's not like he's jealous or anything, but he could feel his tight grip on emotions are slowly loosening up, and it's probably because of Tsuru. She's getting close to anyone—to the point where Mammon is alright with her touch and random hugs—and it's not like he's being left alone, is it?

This possessiveness of his will be the death of him, he could tell.

When he saw the conversation between the brunette and the green haired scientist ended, he pulled the female aside just to see her squeaked and tripped over air. Of course, prepared for her usual sudden clumsiness, he wraps his left arm around the Japanese's waist, steadying her as she crashed into his chest. Her amber eyes blinked, before she looks up and she smiled.

Honest, true, with a hint of naivety.

Those eyes…

"Tsu, do you know that man?" The Chinese man asked, shifting every single attention on the room to the blonde man who still staring Lal with something that could probably said as _curiosity, _though Fon is not the best in reading people. He knows pattern, knows on _how _they would react, but in reading people to the details? Not his job. It's Reborn's speciality, not his.

Tsuru's brown eyes widened slightly, forgetting the guest that she left in order to greet her friends. Oh, oh yes, she needs to introduce them—her eyes is really easy to read, Fon thought in amusement. Finally choosing to make the female in his arms as his teddy bear (for now), he turned the female to face the others, but his arms stay around her waist. He leaned slightly to rest his chin on top of her head, earning a soft questioning noise from the female. He shook his head slightly, and instead he nudged the female to introduce the blond to them.

"O—oh yeah. Everyone, that person is Colonello. A member of CEDEF now, a student of Lal Mirch and—a client of mine from back then." Tsuru's explanation are simple, but enough to give them an idea to expect about the male. The blonde—Colonello—grinned brightly as he waved at them.

"Yeah! My name is Colonello, kora! I know her from a story of my _friend—,_" the word 'friend' was spitted out as his blue eyes shifted to Reborn who smirked at him, "—and he said that this person would hear you out, no matter what the topic. So I seek her out, and then we stayed in contact." He finished. A silly grin appears on his face as he remembered the past, and Tsuru sighed.

"So, Nello, the person that you were talking about was h—" Knowing that the blonde wants nothing but to shut up the female, Fon take it to himself. He covers the female's mouth with his palm (not covered with his dirtied robe, of course) and makes a shushing noise.

"It's a secret. Can't you see Colonello is freaking out over there?" Fon murmured in Japanese. He could practically feel the female's eyes widened again. She mumbling out sorry in Italian, but he knows Colonello could hear it, if the bright grin that appears on his face are any indication.

"I take it that it has something to do with our dear blue haired female though, yeah?" The Chinese man asked with low voice, now switching to Chinese. He knows the female in his arms knows Chinese, so it doesn't matter anyway. This thing seems to be a secret, so it would be a shame if another hears about this, right?

"Yes. The blonde is a coward." Tsuru whispered in Chinese, before she sighed and she leans backward slightly so she leans against his chest. Fon raised an eyebrow at this. He says nothing, but the arms around her waist tightened once again.

"Today, you're going to be my teddy bear." The martial artist said. The brunette sighed, and she shrugged as if saying 'what can she do' but she looks like she has no complain whatsoever. So he deems that she's alright with it. Because of that, he openly nuzzles the top of her head and breathes in her scent, the sweet scent filling his nostril because he sighed. Ah, the calmness that he needed. Good.

"But to think that a man could enter this place easily…" Mammon murmured, gaining the attention of the other. "It means that this place's security is not that good, right? Colonello may be Lal's student, but a student is a student nonetheless. If even a student can enter this place—doesn't it mean that this place is not that safe?" The illusionist explained, a slight frown marring her face.

"Then it would be more dangerous for Tsuru to stay here." Verde says the unsaid. A glint appears on his glasses, as he pushes the bridge of his glasses to his nose. Mammon nodded grimly, before she looks away as if she doesn't like to think about something.

"Hey—I'm fine—" Tsuru's words were interrupted by the sound of shushing from Fon who shook his head once again slightly. "No, Tsu, this is dangerous." He said, sighing softly. It really is dangerous…

"Maybe someone has to stay here with Tsu to guard her." Reborn said, looking at Tsuru with eyes that challenge her to deny his words. She couldn't say anything, she knows that they are simply worried about her, but this—isn't it like she's holding them back?

"Can't I just say something?! I'm alright, okay? I'll be okay—you guys don't have to do this—" She struggled from Fon's hold who lets her go, before looking at them with desperation. No, she doesn't want to be a distraction, a brick that's holding them down, not _again—_

"Tsuru." Reborn approached her with wide steps. The female shifted her gaze to him, eyes daring him to say anything, to do anything. If it were a lesser man, they probably will back away but this is Reborn. He would never be one of those 'lesser men'.

(Although, the pain and the fear that clouded her amber eyes causes his heart to clench)

"Tsuru, look." The hit man leans forward, pressing his forehead against the angered female. Both of his palms rested against the brunette's cheek, his onyx orbs staring right to her widened amber eyes. "It's not you, it's _us. _We're worried about you—_I _worried about you. You're probably thinking something along the line of you're holding us back, huh?" At her sharp intake of breath, he guessed correctly, "You're not. It's really just because we are worried something might happen, dammit. You are our sky, whether you notice or not, and this just our way of saying that we don't want to lose you. Alright?" She nodded slowly, and the hit man smirked.

He didn't actually say anything, but the look that he gave was enough for Tsuru to punch the man's shoulder gently. The hit man chuckled, before he wraps his fingers around the female's wrist, and pulled her forward. He wrapped his arms around her shoulder, squeezing tightly before letting go, confusing the female. She lets out questioning noises, but Reborn simply smirks.

"Tsuru." Mammon calls out, and brunette turns around to see the illusionist is approaching her. Tsuru tilted her head slightly, and this was replied with a soft smile by Mammon. "Let's go to the living room. Everyone is tired, and I'm sure they want to use you as a pillow somehow." The Japanese blinked. Though, when she opens her mouth to reply, a snort comes from Verde.

"A pillow sounds nice, actually." The green haired scientist said, smirking slightly. Skull nodded rapidly, his smile brightening oh so beautifully. "Yeah! We can cuddle or something, _nee-chan_!" He gushes, and in turn his purple eyes brightening, like a fire burning behind those indigo orbs.

"As much as I don't want to share, I actually agree." Fon continues, sighing in resignation before he smiled. "A cuddle pile, people called it, yes?" He said easily, before moving towards the living room gracefully. Lal scoffed. "We'll join your slumber party later. This idiot and I have something to talk about." She said, before she pulled Colonello's earlobe toward the back entrance. The blonde, of course, yelling in pain and staggered backward—though, he managed to stay standing—before flashing a 'HELP ME' look to Tsuru. The brunette simply smiled and flashes her thumbs up, ignoring the despaired scream of Colonello.

Verde chuckled. A smile appeared on his lips before he bows in grandeur manner while stretching one hand to Tsuru who looks at him in curiosity. "May I own the honor of taking you to the place of our resting place, milady?" The bespectacled man asked with a warm smile, and this in return makes Tsuru smiled brightly, filled with nothing but warmth and happiness.

"Yes." She said with a giggle, before she placed her hand on top of his palm, holding it tightly before she holds Mammon's hand, surprising the female illusionist. The purple haired female glanced at Tsuru who looks so happy, before she walks with the two of them, hand in hand.

Skull followed them with Reborn, naturally, and then they all settled for the night. Of course, this formation is still missing Colonello and Lal, so it might still have a little improvement.

Tsunayoshi leans against the ratty couch, eyes fighting to close but she doesn't want to sleep yet. But how can she, when there was warmth in every single part of her body? So warm, _so, so warm, _it was blissful. Resting their head on her shoulder was Mammon, still wearing her robe and lips still down-turned. But this time, at least the female illusionist looks comfortable.

Reborn lays his head on her lap, looking oh so comfortable there. Verde lies on the couch behind her head after taking off his white robe. Fon sleeps on Mammon's lap, and it was a surprise that the female isn't rejecting him. Colonello sleeps a little farther away, but their fingers entwined and he…is already deep in sleep. Lal leans against the armrest of the couch, but not too far away from Colonello. As if she wants to protect the blonde. Skull is a little farther as well, but his fingers are also entwined with Tsuna's.

It was warm.

Tsuna could get used to this.

And maybe—trust these people with her story.

* * *

Sometimes, Takeshi hates this kind of situation.

No, not because he was ignored! He's not that attention deprived! But this situations happen way too often to be just a coincidence, and honestly? It actually makes Yamamoto wants to stop learning sword and jumps straight ahead to his books.

(But he knows he couldn't do that. The sword is part of his life, a life that has been okay without books around him)

Because, well, when Hayato meets up with Irie Shoichi, a friend of them who is a genius in scientific things, things that actually interests the silver haired bomber, all they can talk about is theories, facts, what achievements they have nowadays, and some other things that the sword-man always blocks out unconsciously.

It would've been better if she is here.

He sighed as he stuffed his hands to his pocket. With her, he probably has a friend to talk with. A deep talk that Takeshi actually feels the want to join in, a teasing here and there, jokes thrown carelessly, a pair—or a triple?—laughter mingling in the air, warmness, it's usually filled with warmness—

No, he couldn't let his mind strays again, not again.

Not about her, anything but about her.

He lets out a shaky breath, before he lifted—when did he lowered his gaze?—his eyes and his eyes widened comically. What's in front of him is—not the two friends that was supposed to be standing there! But instead—

A forest.

He somehow managed to get lost to a freaking forest.

How is this even possible?!

"Hayatooooo-? Shouichiiiii-?! Anyoneeeee…?" He calls out, eyes shifting side to side in anxiety. No reply comes, though Takeshi has anticipated this. He sighed, honestly, when those two talks? It's like what's surrounding them melted into one huge mix of blurry lines.

Though, it's not a bad thing, he thinks with a smile. His best friend really is something.

"Though, I didn't expect to get lost in the middle of the forest or something—but really, how the heck did I managed to reach this place?" He mumbled, voicing out his thought. It's not like anyone is there to comment at his sudden commentary about his situation, right?

Lonely—he almost forgot about that one emotion that he constantly felt before.

After she arrived, though, being lonely never happens to him. She makes sure of it.

And he lets out another long breath, eyes hard on the sky.

Why would she leave them? Leaving them in Namimori while she goes gallivanting off to somewhere they're not, and then leaving them all of the sudden—

Is playing with people her hobby or something?!

(He missed her. He missed her too much.)

When he once again snapped out of his train of (self-deprecating) thought, he looks up. And stands before him was something…amazing. Takeshi is sure, if his thought isn't busy (to destroy the walls that he build after she left), he would've gaped.

In front of him, a huge tree stands.

The size was easily three to five times the trees that surround the biggest. It was tall, of course—and Takeshi does not know how to explain. This tree is just that big, and he is convinced that if there's a rain, the drops of water wouldn't probably pass that canopy. It's just—so big!

Probably as Sasagawa-senpai says, big to the extreme.

He chuckled to himself.

His finger lightly trailed over the rough bark. As he expected from a tree this huge, the bark feels so…old. Battered, but surviving life. He pressed his palm against the rough skin, and he grinned breathlessly. It feels so good in here, like he's…in peace.

So very in peace.

He almost does not want to go back, not in the place where there's no her.

But of course, he can't be selfish. He has to.

Looking over the tree once again, his eyes widened slightly as his eyes captured a slight flaw on the otherwise perfect tree. A carving, Takeshi realized, by children because of how uneven and shaky the kanji is. But it's legible, and Takeshi could understand what is carved in the tree.

It was a name of two people.

I know that Kyo is Hibari-san— Takeshi rubbed the back of his head,

—But who's Tsuna?

* * *

_A/N : Yaaaay! And the plot thickens—or so they said C: _

_**KiMaChi-san** : Ohoho, thank god you like that Reborn jealous bit C: I like writing those, Jealous!Reborn is my guilty pleasure. XD And now I'm mentioning you again (send you hearts) Thank you for following this story! (bows deeply) _

_**Awesome-san** : You love/hate that cliffhanger? Maybe this one can control the urge to hate any cliffhanger? C: Thank you for reading!_

_**Guest-san** : Now you know C: Haha, thank you for reading!_

_You guys rocks. Thank you for reading, following, faves, and reviewing this story! It means a lot to me, hehe. _

_Shout out to **Kristina M.P**-san who is such a dear and an awesome person to boot! This lovely person send me my first fanart (I'm dying-) and I'm going to use her drawings for the time I upload this story at AO3 (send you big heart) _

_Oh, you know, I like talking to people. Especially my readers. So, if you guys actually want to talk to me (I know you don't /kicked) to complain, to yell at me, to tell me ideas, to request things, I'm open! Shoot me a PM, and I'll get back to you immediately C: _

_Review if you want to, faves and follow if you want to._

_And I'll see you! In the next chapter. _

_Bye-byeee~ _


	7. Trouble

_A/N ; Oh wow. I feel so loved. So many faves and likes…Oh yeah, I hope you guys like the new summary and the new cover! The cover is made by my best friend, __**Lia**__, which is an awesome artist and I would link you to her tumblr if she has one…I forgot if she has one or not :I Oh well. _

_Oh yeah, thanks to __**Kristina M.P**__-san for giving me ideas on the second half of this story, __**Evanescentfacade**__-san for being my unofficial beta reader, for __**EndlessChain**__-san for asking an important question (whether you notice it or not) and thus, giving me idea to write, and __**Skylar18 **__for talking to me. I like talking. Oh, and thank you for reading as well! Your reviews makes my heart warm, it really is. _

_Reply for review is at the bottom~_

**Warning : OOC Characters, Hibari and Mukuro (they deserve their own warning), a light 1827, Fluff, bad grammar(s) (If there's still some mistakes in there, I took complete blame on that. UvU), typo(s), curses, and I can't even think up of another. Just proceed with caution. **

_Now! Enjoy, as I watch this long video about Cryaotic playing an awesome game. _

* * *

_And __thus__, the strongest seven (__plus__ Colonello) __began__ growing even fonder __of__ the sky…._

To protect Tsuru they decided to have one of the other elements stay behind on missions. To choose who would be guarding her they drew up a schedule. But the schedule could become invalid if the person in charge of protecting Tsuru was needed for a mission.

(Like that one time it was Verde's turn to stay behind, but he had to go because none of the others understood the scientific slang in the place.

None of them were happy, but hey, it wasn't their field of expertise.)

How they managed to create the schedule was a mystery. Reborn wanted to stay at the cottage, but so did Fon, and Mammon, and Verde, and Skull, and—

Basically, everyone.

And so the schedule was created after many arguments (like how Tsuru would've been better off with Reborn/Fon/Viper/Verde/Skull/Colonello/Lal protecting her), cursing, fighting, biting, and yelling (on Tsuru's part), they finally had an agreement.

* * *

**Second Mission**

Verde could've just stayed silent, watching the girl from afar and letting her do as she pleased. But there was still something about her that nagged in the back of his mind, and that investigation had gone too long without any progress, so today, while there's no one around them—he was going to ask.

"Tsuru." The female lifted her gaze to see green eyes watching her from across the room. Tsuru tilted her head slightly, letting her (very messy) brown hair fall slightly to the side along with the movement of her head, and her lips pouted slightly when the man did not reply immediately. Verde sighed, before he approached the female.

"Would you mind if I…cook with you?" The green haired scientist asked. The brunette let out a surprised gasp as she looked at him as if he was an imposter.

The man scoffed, before he shoved his hands into the pockets of his lab coat. "Don't look at me like that." He hissed, and Tsuru put up her hands in the universal gesture of surrender.

"Why did you want to learn so suddenly?" She blinked, her brown eyes twinkling with something he was unfamiliar with.

"It's—science." He replied lamely, earning him a questioning gaze from the female but she shrugged instead of saying anything.

"Alright, let's start with the easy things then." She said easily. She grabbed a pack of coffee and handed it to the scientist who looked at her strangely.

"It's easy, and you seem to drink a lot of coffee usually. So I'll teach you how to make delicious coffee so you can make it by yourself and not have to deal with people in general." She explained, and suddenly it all made sense.

He should've asked earlier. If it meant lessening contact with the human race, he would learn this with a burning passion.

"Sure." He nodded; a tight-lipped smile appearing on his face.

Tsuru nods back. "Let's get to it then." She said, and Verde sighed.

First, they decided to do something easy. A cup of espresso. Verde did quite a good job, and he got a thumbs up from Tsuru who drank it without blinking.

_A__ person who rarely drinks coffee suddenly __drinking_his_ coffee without even cringing? _Verde thought as he blinked multiple times.

He must've been hallucinating.

And then Tsuru challenged him to make the coffee without her telling him what to do.

Verde, being the mad scientist he is, easily grasped the science behind the making of a cup of coffee. Add this by these amounts, wait for a moment, add water, stir, wait again, and—

"You're good at what you do." Tsuru said in an appreciative gesture, whistling at the sight of the cup of coffee Verde made by himself.

"Drink it. You made it, after all." She said with a toothy grin, and the man blinked. He grasped the handle, slowly lifting the cup to his lips and he took a sip of the coffee.

Verde blinked.

It didn't taste…bad.

Tsuru giggled, eyes brightening at the sight of Verde looking at the cup as if it held the answer to everything in the universe.

"You made it. Be proud! At least you can make coffee now." She paused, before she giggled and continued, "It's good, right? The happiness of enjoying something you made—people take things for granted now, after all." She sighed as she leaned her chin on the palm of her hand.

Verde froze.

"_People take things for granted, __don't__ they, _Signore _Verde? Even we take the freedom we are born with as granted—and never appreciate__ it__ until __it__is__...gone. __Humans are__ really strange…" _

"_I agree. Now shut it. I'm trying to think here." _

"_I'll shut up for now, then." _

It's about—it's about—why is it so familiar—

Tsuru, oblivious to his suffering, simply turned around and grabbed a bunch of things from the refrigerator. She hummed as she thought about what to make for her teammates when they returned, and she giggled at the thought of giving them something that not even Verde was crazy enough to eat.

But Tsuru wouldn't do that—right?

Right, he hoped so.

* * *

**Third Mission**

She never knew why she would ever be fond of this girl.

At first, she honestly thought that this person would be someone that she would avoid for the rest of her time in the place. Come on, she's Mammon for god sake. The words 'happy', 'kind', and 'selfless' were never the words to describe her. So this girl was the polar opposite of her, with one being she who sparkles under the sun and the other she who hates the sun with extreme passion.

So, it was a surprise for Mammon when she found herself beside the girl, not actually minding the presence of another as she counted the money she had. The girl beside her hummed softly as she read a thick book in Spanish, and this made Mammon raise one of her eyebrows.

"You can read Spanish?" She asked. Tsuna let out a muffled squeak, before she turned around to face the illusionist. She giggled nervously as she rubbed the back of her neck, like she was trying to hide her embarrassment.

"Um, yeah. It's needed if your reputation spreads farther than Italy, so you can understand their stories…" The brunette replied, before she sighed, eyes narrowed slightly. "But I really can't grasp some of these languages, it's so hard." She complained pouting.

Mammon got the urge to pinch the female's cheek. But she held it in.

Somehow.

"I can teach you if you want. For a price." Mammon said easily. When this kind of thing happens, usually the first thing that passed through the illusionist's mind was 'money'. Make more of it. But this time—it wasn't money that she wanted.

"What's the price, Vi—I mean, Mammon?" Tsuru paused before correcting her name, and this somehow made her heart warm a little. A small smile appeared on the purple haired female's lips, and then she leaned her head against the female's shoulder. Tsuru blinked, before she smiled back at Mammon.

"Call me Viper. I know you address me as Viper to the others sometimes, so I give you permission to call me that in front of me as well." Tsuru's lips parted, but Mammon immediately pressed her palm against the sky's mouth, "And second, I want you to speak in Spanish aloud. I happen to like that language, and I'll help you if you get stuck." She continued, and she felt Tsuru bod before she removed her hand.

"O-okay…" Tsuru stuttered, a small blush appearing on her cheeks. "S-so, it's okay to call you Viper, and I have to talk to you in Spanish…?" Mammon nodded at this.

"Every time you want to speak to me, you'll have to talk in Spanish." The illusionist corrected, smiling slightly at the thought of getting closer to the brown eyed female. Tsuru tilted her head slightly, before she smiled brightly.

"Alright." She agreed easily. "Now what language are you stuck on?" Mammon asked in Spanish, looking at the book that rested on Tsuru's lap. It looked like a complicated book. Tsuru giggled nervously.

"It's actually Russian… There's a lot of _Mafiosi _from Russia that come to _Italia _and hear stories about me, but I have a hard time understanding their language when they talk to me…" She said, before she took a deep breath and released it, like she was trying to calm herself down. She was blushing bright red, but why—Mammon didn't know.

The girl's Spanish was smooth, very soft, and had perfect pronunciation. Maybe someday Mammon could make the female sing in Spanish—yes, that sounded like a lovely idea. Her voice was nice to hear as she babbled about things that she didn't understand in Russian while Mammon nodded occasionally, murmuring a correction when she was wrong, or when she messed up the grammar.

And on that day, Mammon decided.

There was one thing that was more important to her than money.

And it was her Sky, Tsuru.

And Mammon hoped that the girl would find it in herself to trust them, with whatever she was hiding one day.

* * *

**Fourth Mission**

"COLONELLO! GET BACK HERE OR HELP ME GOD I'M GOING TO DRAG YOUR ASS TO THE FUCKING FIELD MYSELF!" Lal hollered angrily, legs stomping on the wood surface of the floor, sounding like an angry beast that was let loose. Tsuru blinked as she looked up from the book that she had at the moment, brown orbs showing confusion clearly.

Lal shook her head, mutely conveying that it wasn't her problem so she shouldn't worry. Tsuru nodded, and she returned to the book on the table. The blue haired female gazed at the petite female, studying her intently. This female was different—she was probably no older than fifteen but she looked like she held the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her shoulders were set, as if ready to face the world—but her legs were tight as a brick, holding her down for some reason.

If Lal could describe her in two words, it would be a Walking Contradiction. She was so quiet, but so loud in her own way. She wasn't an angel, but even a blind person could see that she _was_one, stuck in the middle of _Cosa Nostra _and brightening the bloody world. She smiled, but her eyes conveyed sadness. She looked so brave yet so cowardly at the same time. A stubborn heart, but a meek spirit.

It was so confusing; Lal didn't know how to face her.

"Oh, Tsuru. Have you seen Colonello around?" The dark skinned female asked; her eyes on the female. Tsuru blinked, before she smiled and rose from her seat. She walked toward one of the cabinets which looked so innocent—but when Tsuru opened the door, Lal had the sudden urge to destroy the cabinet ASAP.

There he was, Colonello in all his military uniform glory, sleeping without a care in the world.

"Thanks, Tsuru." A vein pop appeared on Lal's forehead. She flicked Colonello's forehead as rough as she could, making the man cry out and wake up immediately. When he opened his blue eyes, though, the first thing he saw was his demon tutor, and this scared the man _shitless. _

"Um…Tsu, help?" Colonello whimpered as he kept his eyes on the blue haired demon.

Tsuru shook her head, lips pulled upward in a bright smile. "This is your problem, Nello-_nii._ It's your fault that you slept here and were avoiding her." She replied easily, before she walked toward the blonde with measured steps. "Besiiiides." She whispered, eyes glinting with mischievousness, "I thought you were going to confess today…?" She asked.

"I never said a thing about tha—" His protest was cut short when Tsuru abruptly stood, still smiling. "Lal-_san_, I believe that Nello-_nii _has something to say." She said, before she moved out of the way of destruction—all while smiling, though her smile turned slightly dark like—

Reborn's smile.

Oh god, she was slowly turning into a sadist!

"Um—yeah, actually Lal, did it hurt?" Colonello asked. Lal stared at him like he suddenly grew a second head.

"Did what hurt?" The blue haired female asked as she lifted one of her eyebrows in confusion.

"Falling from heaven." He said cheekily, and there were loud thumps and muffled laughter from behind Lal.

"Nello-_nii _oh my god that was so lame—_dios mio _my stomach—" Tsuru gasped out, still rolling in laughter. Lal stared at Tsuru for a moment, before she turned to glare at Colonello who smiled sheepishly. Lal sighed in aggravation, before she left the room with her boots clicking against the wood floor. The blonde stared at her retreating back, before he turned his eyes to Tsuru who was smiling at him.

"I don't understand, why can't you just go and confess like a man, Nello_-nii._" The brunette said as her lips puckered up into a pout. Colonello grinned brightly, his hand finding the top of her head and he proceeded to ruffle her hair, causing it to turn even messier.

"It's not that easy. You go and try to confess to whoever you like. It's going to be _tough._" The blue eyed male sighed, before a fond smile appeared and softened his handsome features. "But it's going to be worth it." Colonello nodded to himself, as if for reassurance. Tsuru smiled, as if accepting his answer.

Colonello wasn't sure that it was going to be worth it. His tutor was really beautiful, very strong, the kind of woman that probably would say that she doesn't need a man because she was already very, very manly (even manlier than some of the member of COMSUBIN!), and she would think that she'd be okay as a lone wolf.

But ever since Tsuru listened to him on that day, he foumd himself wanting to keep going, wanting to keep Lal and protect her, even though she was strong, stronger than him, but he still wanted to protect the woman, wanted to save her from loneliness—he wanted her, he loved her—it was because of Tsuru's words that he kept on going, believing that he could own the woman he loves completely, someday.

Someday.

So he owed it to her. He knew that she had a pretty tough past before, so he decided he would be the best brother ever for her.

He would make sure of it.

* * *

**Fifth Mission **

"Tsuru-_nee_?" Skull asked as he lifted his head slightly to find the others' amber eyes. Tsuru hummed in response, staring back at him as he tried to overcome the blush that threatened to burn his cheeks. He let out a stuttering mumble, before his purple eyes once again met the caramel orbs that were filled with nothing but confusion.

Today was the fifth mission, and it was Skull's turn to stay behind in order to guard the sky. Of course, the cloud didn't mind at all, in fact, he was ecstatic! This meant he could be with his _nee-san _without the interruption of anyone else! He was lying on her lap, a place that he deemed as very comfortable, one of his favorite spots to nap.

He sighed as he let the woman gently stroke his head with those heavenly fingers of hers. It was comforting, just being like this with her. He felt like he could be himself, not the pathetic ruse that he had to put up when the others were around because he didn't want to stand out.

Unlike him, the others were pretty useful. Some were questionable due to 'morals', but they were useful. Everyone was useful, but him. He was only a stuntman, a man who did tricks and jumps just because he liked it, he loved the adrenaline that rushed through his veins when he made the perfect loops with his motorcycle, or the feeling of his stomach flipping upside down as he flew above the track, feeling the freedom that passed through him. But he wasn't useful. Being a stuntman was only for his amusement, after all.

"Do you think…being a stuntman is cool?" Skull asked timidly.

Tsuru paused for a moment before she smiled at the older man, "I think they're very cool. It's hard to be a stuntman from what I've seen you know? I can pick up a gun and become a killer, but I can't ride a motorcycle and become a stuntman all of a sudden." She giggled, before she let out a breath with something that he interpreted as fondness, "And they save lives, as well." She said, her fingers beginning to stroke his hair again.

"Saving lives…how?" Skull asked, blinking in confusion.

"Well, the actors won't be injured by doing anything dangerous because the stuntmen do it for them, right? So stuntmen are awesome because they can do all sorts of tricks and be okay with not being in the spotlight," She stroked her chin in contemplation.

"Yes—I think that's it! I admire them because they can do so many things and stay so humble and okay with not being in the spotlight, with other people taking the credit and such." Tsuru shrugged, "I think it's really cool." She finished, before she leaned backward, her back resting against the back of the couch.

"You're cool." She said, simply. Her lips curving into one of those magnificent smiles of hers.

Skull decided, being a stuntman was cool.

Because his _nee-san _told him so.

* * *

**Sixth Mission **

"Fon-_san…_" Tsuru murmured as she leaned her head against the man's shoulder. The storm hummed softly, fingers absentmindedly moving between the female's locks, noting how soft it was.

The brunette sighed, before she leaned even further on him. "Do you think that I'm useless?" She asked softly, not looking at the man.

"Pardon?" Fon blinked, thinking that he had misheard her question.

Tsuru shook her head, not wanting to repeat her question. "It was…nothing." She mumbled; eyes half-lidded. But he spotted a hint of sadness in those caramel orbs. Fon sighed, lips twitching to create a fond smile.

"Do you know what people like us need?" The martial artist asked, subtly moving the girl even closer to him so he could wrap his arm around the female's shoulder. The sky shook her head, before she tilted it upward so she could watch his eyes. Fon smiled as he leaned forward to kiss the female's head.

"A place where we can return to rest, so the ghosts of people that we defeated won't return as nightmares—in short, a home to return to." He said, as he leaned his head against hers, sighing softly in contentment. "So far, we've found a home in you, Tsu." He continued, knowing that her eyes widened by a fraction, "So no. You're not useless. You are a home to us, now, and I'm sorry if we make you feel like you are useless to us, but we want to protect the home we'll be returning to…" He trailed off, before smiling at the girl once again, "Do you understand?" He asked, smiling kindly, and the girl nodded happily as she snuggled into the man's side.

Fon chuckled at the adorable display, before he sighed in happiness.

Yes, he could feel it already.

This female was going to be a home for all seven of them.

For all seven of the battle-weary souls who needed a place to return to.

* * *

But of course, that peacefulness couldn't stay forever, especially when you lived with seven killers—well, one killer is questionable (Skull) and another is just a commander (Lal)—so it wasn't surprising to them when another trouble appears that masks itself as a mission.

"There's a mission." Tsuru mumbled, looking at the envelope with a strange look. It seemed like she got a bad feeling from the mission. It wasn't like they could feel it, but still…Reborn raised an eyebrow at the female's weird actions. He snatched the envelope from her and opened it with one quick movement. A letter in handwriting, as usual, a mission.

But there was only one sentence in the letter, nothing like signatures or curvature words as was typical.

Only one.

"Destroy Neo-Estraneo." The letter read.

And they saw the blood leaving Tsuru's face at the mention of Estraneo.

"Tsu? What's going on?" Fon asked, as soft as he can—though it's not much as he apparently couldn't hide the worry that's began to overwhelming his senses—as he grasps the trembling hands of the sky, still looking oh so pale.

"I-I—I thought that Estraneo—I—Muku-_nii_ already destroyed them! Whywhywhywhy—" Her pupils widening into an unhealthy proportion, her whole body trembling as if scared, as if screaming _please hide me please hide me please hide me kill me I don't care—_

Verde's eyes narrows.

Mammon approaches the female and gathered her to her arms, hugging her tightly as she strokes her back slowly. "Speak softly. I can't understand if you're mumbling like that." The illusionist murmured, eyes now looking at the back of the brunette's head. Tsuru whines, before she leans her forehead against Mammon's shoulder.

"Maybe it's time to tell you guys my past…A little backstory, one may say." She murmurs; her voice soft. She lifts her head slightly just to see everyone is looking at her differently but the one that's standing out is…Verde's gaze. A spark of recognition pass his eyes, and by the look of it, not a good one.

"I—I was a subject in Estraneo and I—"

She takes a deep breath,

"I died."

* * *

Mind still occupied with the stranger's name, Takeshi finally found a way to leave the forest. But after that, he felt like he escaped the witch only to enter the oven. He just left a trouble and is now entering another one. God, was today his unlucky day or something?

He saw Mukuro and Hibari, face-to-face, weapons up to attack.

Fuck.

So he hides, because the two seem like they haven't noticed him—yet.

"Oya, oya, Skylark." Mukuro said, his heterochromatic eyes lit up in amusement. The 'Skylark' scoffed in distaste, gray eyes tainted with no small amount of blood lust.

"Pineapple herbivore." He spit out, words bitter against his tongue. Mukuro chuckled that unique laugh of his, but Hibari simply looked at him in annoyance, like the purple haired man was nothing but trash to be tossed away at any moment.

"Leave, or I'll bite you to death." The prefect hissed, eyes glinting with the intent to kill. Mukuro chuckled, eyes narrowing slightly in the face of a challenge. "Oya? I'm scared now." He scathingly replied, raising up his trident in preparation of a fight.

Hibari let out a growl, and he charged forward.

Takeshi gaped at the display of power in front of him. They were both strong, defending and attacking in split seconds like monsters, and he was _this _close to sneaking away so he wouldn't get hit away but something stopped him in his tracks.

"Do you know where Tsunayoshi is, Skylark?" Mukuro asked, lifting his trident in front of his chest in a defensive maneuver.

Hibari paused in his attack, lowering his tonfa slightly before looking at the herbivore in front of him. "…No." He huffed out, before his eyes narrowed, "Did something happen to the omnivore?" The black haired man asked, the tip of his lips turned downward, and his eyes showed…

Takeshi gaped.

…His eyes showed worry. This Tsuna managed to make Hibari call them omnivore, and was able to make the skylark very, very worried! This person must have a lot of power or cuteness in their hands, seeing that Hibari only fell for the cute ones—the helpless herbivores, as he says.

"Something might've happen to Tsunayoshi." Mukuro said, lips curled in annoyance, "Tsuna is missing from Italy. I wondered if Tsuna returned to Namimori…" The illusionist shrugged his shoulders, "But apparently Tsunayoshi isn't here, so I will be taking my leave." He turned around, waving at the skylark before his figure was shrouded by mist flames.

"Tch." Hibari spit out, before he sighed. Yet another confirmation about the herbiv-_o__mni_vore's condition. Missing, abducted, _dead—_his heart felt like it was being crushed under a heavy weight whenever he heard the word _she's dead—_of course, he still held on to the hope that she was fine, she had to be! She had a promise that was yet to be fulfilled to him—

"_I'll return, Kyo-kun. I'll return and I'll be by your side, forever." _

"…_Promise?" _

"_Promise! Now come on, it's going to be alright, okay?"_

"…_You're okay with this?" _

"_I'm not, but what can I do?" Cue the bright smile with a light tint of sadness. _

"_Kyo-kun is my first friend in forever, so I'm sad to leave you alone…" A pause, "But, I'll just have to return and everything will be okay, no?" A question. _

"_I guess…" _

"You still have your damn promise, herbivore." Hibari growled to no one in particular, "A herbivore that breaks their own promise will be bitten to death." He said out loud, his voice holding a note of sadness and frustration.

"Ano, Hibari-san?" Takeshi asked, finally leaving his hiding spot. Hibari turned slightly to see the ex-jock approach him with a grin on his face.

"What?" He growled, annoyed that his musing was being interrupted by a herbivore. Takeshi lifted his hands in a 'surrender' stance, before a small smile appeared on his face.

"I heard you talk about someone named Tsuna. Who is that?" The dark skinned man asked as he watched the tonfa wielder narrow his eyes at him. "It's the fluffy herbivore that I was talking about earlier, herbivore." Hibari explained in annoyance, wishing that the man would leave.

"Wait, I thought that was Tsuru?" Takeshi asked, confusion clear in his eyes.

Hibari's eyes widened slightly.

"Takeshi!" Hayato called out, green eyes blazing with fury, "Why are you up and leaving like that?! I've been looking for you everywhere!" He growled out, annoyance clears in his voice. Takeshi smiles sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck like whenever he feels embarrassed or the like. Ha. At least he still has the decency to feel shame.

"But but, Hayato, I got a weird information! Hibari-san actually doesn't know Tsuru! He knows her as Tsuna, isn't that weird?" Takeshi gushes out, actually feeling way more confused that he actually shows. Hayato's eyes widened slightly, before he sighs.

"Well, whatever." The green eyed Mafioso grinds out, his whole body tensed for a moment, before it relaxes but Takeshi knows that he hides it. The pain of losing _her, _what makes her name so—so taboo between them.

"It's not like we can ask Tsu-_hime _herself, right."

"After all, she's missing and probably _dead as well."_

* * *

_A/N : Good? Bad? I really hope it's not that bad. Do reviews if you want to, I really like how you people respond to my story (heartshearts) when I said suggest me a ship and I'll write them—I'm serious! The slight moment 1827 is asked by __**Skylar18**__ and Skylar-san somehow managed to guess some very important point about this story…I applaud you, friend C: _

**Now, reply for the anon reviewer!**

_**Wonderland Alice**__-san : _You're okay with late update? Thank god C: I really can't say much but Yamamoto and the other are referring to…Tsu, of course uvu Who is Tsuna? Well, can't say that for sure~ And yes, Tsu is going to take the place of Sky Arcobaleno rather than Luce—it's already been written in the summary that it's going to be Arcobaleno!Fem!27, so yes :3I'm leaning toward Arco27, but you can request a ship to appear on a chapter or something C: It's totes ok!

_Believe me when I say shit's gonna go down in the next chapter. _

_Review if you want to, fave and like them if you want to, but most of all, thank you for reading. ^ J ^_

_Ciao!_


	8. Past

_A/N : _Mein gott. _People, you love me too much. Over 10 reviews __were__ given to me on the last chapter, so I guess you __liked__ the chapter? I hope so. Dude, I__'ve__ almost __reached__ 200 follows! Thank you so much! _

_A reader ask me awhile back to insert 1896 (HibaChrome) and so there's a little piece of them there~ I hope anyone won't mind uvu _

_Oh yeah! Thank you for my unofficial beta reader __**evanescentfacade**__-san, the draft __must've __looked __really__ bad, am I right? Haha! Hmm, reply for the guest(s) are gonna be on the bottom k? __As__ usual!_

**Warning : OOC Characters, Angst (Here is my warning), mild pairings (like 1896, 1827, and 8059) and…overly ****dramatic**** writing by this Re, oh and cursing too. **

_And so, enjoy the story! _

* * *

_And she thought she had the strength to tell them... _

"Wait, wait, hold up a minute." Skull exclaimed, eyes widening comically. "Bu-but _nee-san _is here! How in the world would you have died and then _come back to life?!_"

He paused, and then a horrified expression appeared on the stuntman's face, "Don't tell me..." He gaped as he watched the brunette who was fidgeting under his heavy stare, "Are you a zombie?!" Skull yelled, his finger pointing at the brunette accusingly.

Lal facepalmed, and Reborn resisted the urge to actually kill the man, ignoring the fact that the stuntman was practically immortal.

Tsuru blinked adorably, before closing her eyes to show her own exasperation. But then she giggled softly-eyes still closed-and her lips twitched upward in a fond smile.

Her small fingers found their way to Mammon's robe, before they grasped the material tightly, clutching at it like the illusionist was the only thing that was keeping her sane. Though, underneath all of the emotions that were raging inside of her she doubted that she would be able to stand, let alone _speak _without crying her eyes out.

She hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Fon glanced at Tsuru, noticing the discomfort that the girl emitting. He cleared his throat softly, so he wouldn't startle the girl but would gain the others' attention. "Shall we take a seat while she tells her story?" The martial artist suggested, smiling softly at the sudden brightness that entered the female's face. It really worried him that the girl that he thought of as his _home _was now trembling and looking oh so scared, so nervous and so _unlike her__self__, _and it bothered him so much he wanted to kill anyone who managed to make her look like this-no, killing wasn't enough. He wanted to _tear the universe apart just to destroy anything that __made__ her sad. _

Fon was starting to question when he began getting this attached to the girl.

The martial artist glanced at the illusionist and tried to convey something through his gaze, and it seemed like Mammon actually understood the message.

The illusionist tugged the sky after her, murmuring a soft, "Come on, Tsuru," while her hands stayed on the other female's back. She sat on the floor-ignoring it's dirtied state-while she tugged gently at the Listener to sit down next to her. Tsuru nodded mutely, finally moving to sit on the floor. But the moment she finally sat, she immediately hugged her own knees, eyes still closed.

To be honest, it broke their heart.

Tsunayoshi took a deep breath, before releasing it slowly, "I'm going to...reintroduce myself, I suppose." She whispered, her voice soft, fading immediately underneath the tense silence. She knew that the others had to strain their ears to catch her words, but that didn't matter. Any louder than this her voice would be shaky, and it would show her emotions and she didn't want to see the pity that would overwhelm the pressure on her-so she kept her voice soft, as soft as when she was taken by that _group. _

_"I DON'T WANT TO!" _

_SMACK!_

_"Keep your voice down, bitch." _

_"I WANT TO GO HOME-" _

_Another resounding smack. _

_"I ALREADY TOLD YOU TO KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN YOU BITCH!" _

_"I-I-" _

_Now the sound of something kicking a body to the corner tore__ through__ the air, along whimpers __escaping__ parted lips. _

_"Fucking shut your mouth, you dirty _slut._"_

She shuddered, not wanting to relieve the past that kept on haunting her. They always came back, always screaming in the back of her mind, echoing and bouncing around and it couldn't be stopped. She had no power to stop the nightmares, the hands that hurt her, the hands that touched her, the hands that-

She supressed another shudder that ran through her spine.

"I-" Her lips parted to speak, but her voice was still soft. Her fingers found their way to the scar on her neck, the rough surface reminding her once again of the identity that she left behind, the name that was now dead, the name that linked her with her past-but of course, she had to tell them. She trusted them, somehow, in a way.

It was probably because of the bloodthirsty aura that demanded the death of everyone that stood in their way.

"My name..." She took a deep breath, finally lifting her head to see the people in front of her, the blazing orange eyes revealed from beneath her eyelids, "My name is...Tsuru. Also known as Sawada...Tsunayoshi and...Il Ascoltatore, the Listener..." Her breathing was shaky, as if she were trying to keep herself from falling to pieces. She never knew it would be this hard-she thought it'd be easy, but it wasn't, not really, it was easy to _say_ but hard to _do. _

She noticed how Reborn watched her, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. She also noticed Colonello's eyes widening as if trying to recall why the name Sawada was familiar, and how Lal's figure tensed slightly at the name of her boss. She knew. Her name was Sawada, a name that was only supposed to be owned by one person in Italy, the name that was owned by the head of CEDEF and his wife. In a way, it was like telling them that she was their child, but how come the man never told them?

Sometimes she really hated her intuition. Hated it with an _extreme _passion.

The scar on her neck felt hot, as if it were burning, but then it numbed, it burned, it numbed, and then burned again like the cycle in the lab, the pain from the knife get that fucking knife away from her why is that so close why why why-

She closed her eyes. _I can't, I can't go on, but I have to, I have to tell them- _

She tried to numb the nausea that threatened to take over her body, and her body was gasping for breath, but she managed to calm her mind and control her breathing so she could move on.

_I will __move forward__. _

"I..." Another deep breath, she seemed to be doing that a lot in the past few hours, "Lal, Colonello and Reborn might have already known the name of...Sawada..." _Go on, go on, don't fucking remember that time, don't__ you__ even dare to, close your eyes, close your mind, don't even think of that name again- _

"_Tsu-chan, please stay here for a moment, okay?" _

"_But mother…" _

"_It's going to be alright. Mother will return, okay?" _

"_It's dangerous here…" _

"_Tsu-chan, do you want to make me mad?" _

"_Mother—" _

"_Stay, Tsunayoshi." _

"…_yes. Mother." _

_She can't—_

"_We have come to take you, Tsunayoshi Sawada." _

"_B-but mother said I have to wait—" _

"_Your mother lied. She sold you to us." _

"_No, mother wouldn't—" _

"_Yes, kiddo. Your mother sold you to us, and now you have to come with us!" _

"_No—no, you're lying! Mother—mother—father—FATHER!" _

_S—she—she can't—can't—_

"Tsuru. Breathe." And she did. She filled her lungs with air and then she let it out and the black spots that started appearing faded away again. She blinked, finally noticing the pair of warm hands that stayed on her cheeks. Her orange eyes turned to glance at the man that was now staring at her with a worried expression. If the situation wasn't so heavy, she would've giggled at the amount of distress the man was showing. But she couldn't even _think_ straight_,_so she couldn't laugh because of this-not now.

"Don't cry." The man said. Tsuru blinked in confusion, before she noticed the tears that rolled down her cheeks. She hadn't notice that she started crying... She let out a soft whimper, her eyes staying on the man's onyx orbs.

"Reborn...?" She whispered, her hands stretched forward to grasp the man's suit. Her nails were bloodied, as if she were trying to scratch something-but then she felt the pain on her neck. Her eyes widened momentarily, before they slowly closed. _It's like that time again... _She thought absentmindedly.

She wanted to cry, but good god, if she cried now, they would see her as a weakness, not as a home to them, but only a piece of fucking dead weight to them.

_I have to be strong. I can't cry, not now. _

Reborn sensed the dilemma inside the female in front of him. He let his palms rest against Tsu-ru? -nayoshi?-'s cheek, letting the girl think about what she would say. He had a feeling that she would continue to tell her tale, but if she was going to be like this every time she said a sentence, he felt like he'd rather be left in the dark than watch her slowly rip her heart apart just to prove that she was _strong. _The hitman thought, frustrated.

"Please, Tsuru...You don't have to tell us the rest." The black haired man whispered, slowly leaning forward until his lips touched against the brunette's forehead.

"You don't have to tell us if this...panic attack will be part of the deal..." He continued. His thumbs stroked Tsuru's cheeks slowly, trying to convey comfort in hope that she would understand. He then pressed his lips against the female's forehead as gently as possible.

Honestly, for the other strongest six, it was strange seeing Reborn be this soft, but the situation definitely called for it. The others didn't know if they were close enough to the female, but in the back of their minds, they wished they were there for her instead of Reborn.

_They wished they __could__ calm the__ir sky__ down. _

"I-I'm okay." She stuttered, her cheek reddening slightly. Her sunset-colored eyes glanced at Reborn's features as her lips curved into a small smile.

"I'm okay...I want to tell you this story. It's like, an extended getting to know the sky thing, yeah?" She said, her voice a bit louder than it was earlier. Her eyes hardened in determination, and Reborn found it difficult to look away.

"Though..." Her hand shot up, grabbing one of Reborn's hands and griping it tightly, "Stay beside me for a bit...please." She requested, timidly her cheeks flushing slightly, clearly displaying the tint of embarrassment she felt because of her sudden request. The others frowned slightly beginning to see green-ah, it was _jealousy. _

Reborn, being the man of little words that he is, only tightened his hold on her hand, and then he plopped down next to her, not so far that she couldn't feel his warmth, but not so close that she felt suffocated by his presence.

"I'm sorry for the sudden panic attack, everyone." Tsuna said, her lips twitching into an embarrassed smile. She rubbed the back of her neck with a soft giggle that escaped her lips, a gesture that she had picked up from an old friend.

"So, as I was saying..." She trailed off, looking at the man beside her and the other two that she suspected to be familiar with her surname, "Reborn, Nello-_nii _and Lal-_san _are probably familiar with my name..." She tightened her grip around Reborn's hand, "because I heard that Sawada...Iemitsu," his name left a tangy taste on her tongue, reminding her of blood and disgust, "is one of the higher ups in Vongola, correct?" She asked, and then she stared at the three.

Reborn's jaw clenched slightly, Lal's grip on her rifle tightened and Colonello looked so furious, the anger in his eyes were comparable to the heat of a thousand suns.

"You mean...the boss is..." The blonde trailed off, his voice was shaky as he tried to keep his anger under control, but he couldn't, and a not insignificant amount of killing intent leaked from him. Skull actually trembled from the amount coming off of the usually happy-go-lucky soldier.

Tsunayoshi nodded, her movement light.

"I was born in Namimori, Japan as Tsunayoshi Sawada. My mother-Nana-_san_," her name tasted bitter, like betrayal and hatred, "thought it was funny to give me a boy's name, but after that, she told me that it meant dependable, and I should be proud, and that I should set my goal as being more like my name...".

She sighed, her golden eyes dimmed into her usual brown, "I was bullied a lot, my name was Dame-Tsuna back in the day." Her fingers twitched, the memories triggering an automatic response from her body.

"I met a friend back then, a vicious demon with a heart that was soft for little animals." She smiled at the memory, the promise of staying together _forever, _the towering figure of a black haired boy with tonfa in his both hands, grinning oh so crazily at the thought of beating up people, especially all the _herbivores. _

"But after that, I sensed something would happen soon... and I was taken by Estraneo." Her head tilted slightly, and her eyes turned to Verde who was also staring back at her, eyes questioning but a hint of _I__ know _haunting his gaze, turning the emerald orbs a shade darker.

"After that...I was experimented, of course. _Signore _Verde was one of the scientists, but he was kind. We were.. quite young that time, right?" She asked, a small smile playing on her lips.

_"Signore Verde." _

_"27. What do you want?" _

_"Please smile?" _

_"Why?" _

_"Dunno. Just do it?" _

_"..." Thus, the attempt of a smile __was__ made. _

_"Signore, that is not a smile." _

_"Shut up." _

_"A smile is like this!" A bright smile appeared, somehow...__reminding__ the other of spring. _

_"...you have a beautiful smile, subject 27." _

_So warm, so beautiful._

_"Thank you." _

"Yes, we were." Verde coughed into his fist, a small tint of pink coloring his cheeks. He shifted his gaze to the side as he ignored the sweet giggle that left Tsuna's lips, and the choked sound coming from Skull-oh, and also a snort coming from the idiots (namely Reborn, Lal, Colonello, Fon and Mammon).

"This scar on my neck... was created by one of the scientists. They tried to tear my neck open so they could do something to my voice.. I think it was about...making people obey with just one word?" The brunette tilted her head, glancing at Verde as her gaze asked for a more detailed explanation.

"Ah, yes, Estraneo was planning to create a superhuman-and the only one that survived the whole experiment was...subject 27. So they wanted to do something with her voice to make it be able to command an army to stand down-after that, I recall that they began wanting to break the soul and make the subject a perfect soldier."

Verde blinked, "Did they managed to alter your voice?" He asked, his eyes burning for some unknown reason.

"Um, no. I got away, that's why the scar's still here." She smiled sheepishly, "The wound didn't heal completely, I ran away with illusionists, not healers."

She continued, her cheeks heating up slowly, "And that was when I decided that that 'me' died along with their experiment...Tsunayoshi Sawada died...but Tsuru survives." She averted her eyes, not wanting to watch as realization dawned on them.

And then silence greeted her.

"After that...Estraneo was destroyed, and along with it, my old self. I still identify myself as Tsunayoshi, but not Sawada."

She let out a soft sigh, "Never a Sawada." She grasped the edge of her dress, eyes now staring at her lap. She let everything sink in, deciding that it was time to say what she had wanted to say for a long time.

"...I want to go with you guys." She said, her voice soft like earlier.

And hell immediately broke loose.

"I disagree."

"Rejected."

"_Nee-chan _is not permitted to come!"

"I'm sorry to say this but, I agree with them."

"Denied."

"Refused."

"Sorry, Tsu. But you can't."

Her eyes immediately blazed orange, burning in anger and desperation.

"WHY?! I thought by telling you this, you would understand-" She lashed out, immediately standing up in anger. Her hold on Reborn's hand was released, though the lack of warmth in her hand was ignored by Tsuru who looked _furious. _"I want to go-I want to go, dammit-" She saw red as anger flooded her veins, clouding her mind with haze of anger, of hatred, and the question of why filling her brain until her mind was full, full of questions, of exclamations, of yells, of hurt, of sadness-she didn't realized when tears started brimming at the edge of her eyes, threatening to fall once again.

"Tsu-" Fon interrupted, but Tsuru turned her eyes to glare at the martial artist, "Don't give me bullshit about this being for _MY _protection! I can handle things-how do you think I survived this long in the fucking _Cosa Nostra_?! BY BEGGING?!" She shouted, her voice was clouded with the pain that she felt. The they all flinched when they heard her voice, but no one said anything.

No one but him.

"Alright, that's enough." A voice growled, and now Tsunayoshi found herself face to face with Colonello who looks furious with her tantrum. She hissed viciously at him-having learned this from her early years in Namimori-before they stared at each other, both breathing hard in anger and pain.

"That's fucking enough, Tsunayoshi." Colonello hissed, his blue eyes a shade darker than usual, "Don't fucking throw a tantrum just because your wish for revenge wasn't fulfilled-are you gonna be like that all the time? Whining and bitching just because you can't fucking move on, even though you CAN?" His voice rose at the last word. It should've make a normal person flinched, but Tsuru was not a normal person.

She can't stay, she has to go-_SHE HAS TO GO_!

"I CAN'T!" She growled at the blonde, her shoulder tense and her fists clenched, "I can't-IT'S BEEN FIVE YEARS, AND EVEN LOOKING AT THIS-scar-OF MINE-" A sob left her lips, but her eyes stayed on the man that stood in front of her, "I CAN'T-I can't-" She sobbed out, her voice far too shaky to be heard anymore.

A pair of warm arms wrapped around her shoulders, and a chin rested on top of her head, though she didn't really register this as she cried her heart out, the anguish and pain rolling from her in waves, causing everyone present to know what kind of pain she was going through right now, but of course, no one said a thing.

No one dared to.

"Tsu." A firm voice called her out. She heard the voice, of course, but she couldn't answer because the overwhelming feeling that threatened to break her was now free, visible to anyone around her and people who were able to listen to her voice.

"Tsu, you have us." The voice-she remembered that voice as Colonello's-said, voice filled with determination. "You're not alone now, we know your story, now let us help _you. _You've been a home to us, and now, let us stand beside you-you can't carry this kind of pain alone..." The blonde tightened his hold, his baby blue eyes clouding with unshed tears.

"Please...let us help you..." He whispered, before he delivered a swift hit on the back of her neck, immediately forcing her to lose consciousness.

"Was that really necessary, stupid student?" Lal asked. She finally stood after the female in Colonello's arms went unconscious, her footsteps soft as she could make them. Colonello didn't reply, but from the look that her student gave her, it wasn't necessary, but it didn't mean there were other ways. The girl was far to stubborn, and if she was unconscious, it wasn't like she would be able to follow them, right?

The blonde man stayed silent as he let Tsuru's head fall against his shoulder. He then hooked his arm behind her knees, effectively carrying her bridal style. He immediately left the area, setting his destination as Tsuru's room. The only noises that filled the room were Colonello's boots tapping against the wooden floor, but this had to be done.

"...That place has to be wiped off the map." Reborn said, his voice tainted with no small amount of bloodlust. The others immediately agreeing with the hitman's words, their eyes blazing with determination to burn the place to ashes, no, until even the ashes were _gone. _

"No strategy, then?" Fon asked, his lips covered by his sleeve. But from the slight narrowing of his eyebrows, one could assume that the martial artist was _furious. _Added to the fact that the man's other fist was clenching and unclenching, as if he was preparing to _destroy_ something_. _

"No. Let's torture and kill everyone there." Mammon interjected, her lips pulled into a malicious smirk. A small giggle left her lips as the taste of blood rolled on her tongue, even though no blood had been shed yet, she could already feel it. She could feel the heat of the burning building, could hear the screams of the weak scientists, and could definitely feel the copper taste of blood as the bodies of her victims went down and stayed fucking _down. _

"I...Can I say something?" When all eyes turned to Skull, the stuntman whimpered softly, though he immediately stood straight after that, "I think that...Lal-san and Colonello-san should stay here." He said, eyeing the startled blue haired female.

She immediately composed herself, and settled on raising one of her eyebrows. "Why...me?" Lal asked, hating how her voice sounded so uncertain.

Skull smiled lightly at this, "It's because you're worried. Well, we're all worried but your eyes keep on glancing back towards Tsuru's door." The stuntman said, his tone light as if he were talking about the weather.

The others gaped at him, although not obviously. Since when did the stuntman become so observant?

"Fine." Lal huffed, pretending to be reluctant. "I expect reports, though." The female reminded, and this was returned with nods. The blue haired female nodded back at them, before she turned her back on them, finally walking to the female's room with quick steps.

"Oh, and one more thing." Lal glanced over her shoulder, her brown eyes conveying something unknown, "Stay alive. Don't get hurt." She ordered, before she finally left the room to go to the brunette's side.

The remaining people in the room stayed silent, after that.

"Shall we go now?" Reborn questioned, facing the door to the outside world with an expression that could've made even demons weep in fear. The others nodded, their stances ready and a small smirk appeared on their lips. As they marched forward to destroy the base, a thought appeared in their minds,

_"We go as the elements of our sky, not as the strongest people in Cosa Nostra." _

* * *

When they arrived at the mansion, their entrance was not disappointing.

It suited them in a way-in a very twisted way. They didn't come through the back door or even the rooftop. As their usual 'assassin' intuition was blurred by the anger that was clouding their heads, they kicked the front door down, startling all the scientists in the building.

The man in front wore a fedora with a maniacal smirk on his lips. A martial artist was to his left, and an illusionist to his right. Behind the martial artist and illusionist, stood a scientist and a stuntman, each carrying an additional weapons to aid in their lack of physical prowess.

Reborn, Fon, Mammon, Verde and Skull.

The strongest people in _Cosa Nostra _had come to play.

"Chaos."

The hitman greeted, and with a twitch of his wrist, they striked.

* * *

Lal opened the door to Tsuru's room, her eyes taking in everything even to the last detail. There weren't many things, just the usual furniture found in someone's bedroom. A wardrobe, a bed, a small table beside the bed, and a desk in the corner of the room. Not a single personal trinket about her could be found around the room, and this made Lal scowl.

"It's so empty here." She commented, finally looking at the bed. Colonello was sitting on the edge, and in his lap was Tsuru unconscious. Colonello sighed, his fingers running through the brunette locks calmingly, sometimes stopping to play with her hair.

"I know." The blonde replied, eyes gazing around the place with unidentifiable gaze. "I know." He mumbled, before his orbs finally rested on the figure resting in his lap. "...the others left the nest already?" Colonello asked. Lal nodded silently, even though she knew that Colonello couldn't see her from that position. But, the man simply nodded back, as if knowing that she would nod instead of reply verbally.

"How is she?" Lal asked, as she approached the resting woman. She kneeled next to the bed's edge, her fingers lightly trailing over the female's cheek slowly. It was marred with tear marks, making the female somehow looking more tired than usual. Her lips were pulled tight, not smiling but not quite frowning either-but the slight indent in her eyebrows told the two mafioso that the girl was having a nightmare...or she was facing something that she didn't want to remember.

"_Mother...please..._" Tsuru mumbled in her sleep in Japanese. Lal and Colonello quirked their eyebrows in confusion, before the blue haired female shook the brunette's shoulder gently. "Tsu, wake up." She whispered, her eyes watching for any sign of the girl actually waking up.

The brunette's eyes opened slowly, before she blinked in confusion. As she finally rested her gaze on the two figures towering over her, she smiled slightly, "Lal-san, Nello-_nii._" She greeted, her tone a tad lighter than earlier. Colonello smiled back and Lal simply stared at her in confusion.

"They left." Lal said, immediately getting to the point. The man beside her blinked in confusion, but the woman in his lap understood what she meant. The girl smiled sadly, her eyes shows everything that she actually felt. _Regret, anger, but most of all...acceptance. _

"I know." Her hand reached up to cover her own mouth shakily.

Tears began rolling down her cheeks again, and the feeling of guilt flared deep inside of them.

"I know..."

* * *

Two days later, Neo Estraneo had been burned to the ground, with no trace of the scientists or the building to be found.

A rumor was spread that demons destroyed the place as the scientists had scorned the demons who resided there. Some said that it was actually just people with extraordinary power, and then some said that it was in the name of justice, or in the name of hatred.

And some said it was in the name of vengeance.

But of course, no one ever confirmed the truth.

And so the rumor faded as the clock continued to march forward.

* * *

"What do you mean by _dead?_" The prefect hissed, eyes narrowing in anger. His gray eyes turned a shade darker at the thought of the _omnivore_'s status-which was said to be dead. DEAD. **HA! **Like he would believe that! The omnivore was strong, maybe not physically, but mentally? She was the strongest person he'd ever met. He respected her.

But hearing news like this...

"Look, I was surprised as well, alright." Hayato growled, green orbs staring back at Hibari with reluctance clear in his eyes. His fingers twitched in an urge to reach for his dynamites, but he remembered what he promised to his _hime-sama. _

_"Hayato, please do__n'__t throw dynamites anywhere unless it's necessary?" _

_"But, _hime-_" _

_"No buts! It's a yes!" _

_"...alright..." _

_"Promise me!" _

_A sigh, a tint of acceptance __was__ clear __in__his__ voice, "Fine, princess. I promise." _

_"Don't call me princess!" _

_"__I'll__ call you whatever I want, princess!" _

_"Hayatooooo-!" _

"I don't have time for this." Hibari said, his voice cold. He turned his back to the two as he scoffed. He stuffed his tonfa into the holders in an exaggerated movement, before he crossed his arms.

"I will look for a more reliable source." The prefect said, before he left the place with quick steps.

Hayato stared at the retreating back of Hibari, before he sighed.

"That idiotic bastard." He hissed. Takeshi simply chuckled softly, before he patted the silver haired man's head. "Let it go, Hayato. Tsuru must've also been important to Hibari-_san_." He consoled, his hand still patting the shorter's head. Hayato scoffed, before he sighed.

"I guess."

* * *

"Ah, Kyoya-san." The purple haired female greeted, a smile appearing on her face. Hibari simply stared at the female, then he replied with a light nod and a ghost of a smile. "Chrome." He greeted back, before he settled next to the female trident wielder.

"I need you to tell me more about Tsunayoshi." He demanded, eyes fixed on the female who gazed back at him. The pineapple haired female tilted her head, before she sighed softly and her eyes conveyed her amusement. "About the rumor of Tsuna-_san_'s disappearance, I take it?" Chrome asked, and Hibari nodded.

"Well, from what I've heard, Tsuna-_san _disappeared awhile back. No one can really pinpoint the time, as she appears around Italy in random movements usually...She just suddenly disappeared. No one issued a search as she belongs to no famiglia, but I heard that the _Cosa Nostra _has gotten even bloodier since her disappearance..." She paused, before shrugging.

"Then the Mafiosi just sort of concluded that she got caught by a problem, disappear and died. Though no one can really confirm the rumor." She finished as she turned her eyes to the prefect expectedly.

The man was in deep thought, though he immediately broken out of his trance by sighing loudly. "So is that it? Is the omnivore dead?" He asked, his voice actually a little shaky from the revelation. Chrome shook her head, before she rested a hand on the prefect's shoulder.

"No. I know that Tsuna-_san _is way stronger than this." She said, letting her lips twitch into a smile she looked at him encouragingly. "Don't give up yet, Kyoya-san. She's still alive. I can feel it." The purple haired female continued, her smile still intact.

Hibari nodded back, a small smile appearing on his face to mirror the female. No words were exchanged, but one thing passed through both their minds,

_She's alive. _

But oh, Chrome couldn't help but wonder at the feeling of dread in the back of her mind.

Was something...going to happen?

* * *

_A/N : Hehe. I have no __regrets__. I think. Bluh, I hope you like the story, friends~ _

_A question, though! _**Should I continue the plot, or should I post an 'omake' about Tsuru's past, told by an observer? Please tell me through reviews~ **

_And so, replies for the anon uvu _

**Crucifix HiME**_-san : Ehehe, I will tell my friend your compliment ^^ Here's the new chapter, friend! I hope you like it~_

_**Guest**__-san : Hehe, I am so sorry for being a tease *hearts* I am honored to hear that this story is one of your __favorites__! Man it means a LOT! As a reward for waiting, here's the new chapter. Thank you so much, friend. ^^_

_Man, you guys are too kind, seriously. _

_Review, Fave and Follow if you want to! I hope that the story will be worth the wait~! _

_*Psst. It's not even halfway__ yet,__ ok!* _


	9. Memories

**A/N: **I am so so sorry for not updating for like...two three weeks? I am sorry. The chapter that I wrote as a draft was shitty and thus, this was written with the suggestion of my beta-reader, **evanescentfacade**. Seriously. I know you guys would scream at me if you see the old draft. I know. Ranting and reply for anon tachi will be beloow~ Once again, thank you for all the faves, the reviews, and the follows! :D

Extra Note From Beta-Reader: Some parts of the chapter are probably going to be confusing, that's intentional because Tsuru was very confused and very traumatized.

**Warning : **Dark theme (we are talking about Tsu's past here, and my inspiration for some of the... ah, _scenes _are from Tokyo Ghoul, so that how dark this will be.), brief mention of child molestation (it's really brief, but it's there), cursing, probably OOC characters, and many more. Proceed with caution, friends.

Without further ado, enjoy.

* * *

It was cold.

Standing all alone here... It was cold.

She wasn't sure for how long she had been standing here, alone. There was no one around, people hiding from the cold and the snow that's starting to fall from the sky in their homes. But she couldn't, not when her mother was still out there and had told her to keep on waiting. But it was cold, and she forgot her gloves.

"Mother..." She whimpered, her already pale lips trembling from the unshed tears. But she couldn't cry. Her mother always did bad things whenever she caught her crying, so she didn't want to cry, not now. Kyo-kun was probably around, and if he ever caught her crying, he would go berserk, and not even the caramel haired girl wanted to know if he'd go mad. It would probably take a lot of pouting and puppy eye-ing at the ebony haired boy to calm him down, or at least in order to stop him from his rampage.

Tsunayoshi giggled at the thought, lips curling up into a smile.

But even with a smile on her face, a stray tear rolled down her cheek. She hastily wiped it away, but more soon joined, more falling down like the rain, and Tsuna couldn't understand why. Was it because she was thinking about Kyo-kun? Or was it because something was going to happen? She pressed the back of her hand against her parted lips, trying to muffle her sobbing but she couldn't-why wouldn't her tears stop coming down like this?

Why?

"I want to go home..." She sobbed out, her voice shaky with emotions. Her free fingers clutched at the bottom of her orange coat, so tightly that her knuckles turned white, so she could control whatever monster was inside of her. The monster wanted to be let out, but she couldn't! She couldn't let it out, not now-because it was too soon, they would come, she knows she knows-

"We have come to take you, Tsunayoshi Sawada." An unfamiliar voice spoke next to her, voice so loud he might as well have been shouting instead of talking. Tsuna covered her ears, not wanting to hear anything. She knew she dreamt about this, she knew, but it was still painful, and her mother promised to return! Her mother wouldn't have lied to her like that, right?!

"B-but mother said I had to wait-" She whimpered out, now crouching instead of standing. Her tears were still falling, and her lips were starting to go blue, eyes closed in defiance, and her ears covered from the noises the world made.

So silent.

Only a static noise filled her ears.

Like a loud 'shhhh' from a broken radio.

"Your mother lied, she sold you to us." Another unfamiliar voice said, the person's voice sounded so yucky. If voices had tastes, this one would've tasted like spoiled milk. Super sour and not delicious at all. And the person's voice sounded so mocking! Like everything was below him! So-disgusting!

(Wasn't that the word her mother kept using when describing her? She really hoped she used it right.)

"No, mother wouldn't..." She trailed off, her pupils widening in realization. Oh, of course-so all that time she'd been waiting for something uncertain, for someone who had no wish to return, and after all that time she'd been waiting, she'd been thrown away by her own mother? No, no, no she wouldn't! SHE WOULD NEVER DO THAT-

"Yes, kiddo." The person hummed in satisfaction, before he smirked in a creepy way like a cartoon she saw that one day she was allowed to watch cartoons by her mother, "Your mother sold you to us." The person jerked forward, and grabbed her wrist roughly, gripping it so tightly it was impossible to struggle. "And now, you get to come with us!" The man said, and Tsuna hated the way his eyes shined like he had found a treasure-whywhywhy?!

"No-no you're lying, no you have to be lying! Mother-mother-father-FATHER!" She let out a loud shout, crying out at the top of her lungs for her father, while her little heart questioned why this was happening? Was it because she'd done something wrong in her life? Had she messed up something so badly that she had to be punished like this?

"Father-" She brokenly sobbed out, and she tried to breathe but she couldn't, all that came out was something like a pant, and she couldn't take even a single breath of air, because a hand was muffling her cries, and those hands were disgusting, disgustingdisgustingdisgusting-

"-papa..." She whimpered, eyes slowly closing in exhaustion. The men laughed in delight, and then she lost her consciousness.

* * *

_"Tsu-chan! Come here! Papa has a gift for you!" _

_"Papa!" She smiled brightly, her little legs waddling to where her papa was seated, and oh! Her eyes lit up in happiness at the sight of a gift. A gift that looked super pretty!_

_"Now, Tsu-chan, since you have been a very good girl," Tsuna giggled softly as she gazed upon her papa's features. Blonde hair, warm face, bright bright grin and so handsome-no wonder mama loves papa so much, he's a very handsome man, and Tsuna probably wouldn't mind if she married someone like her papa (but not her papa, her mama would be so mad at her for stealing papa away!), "Papa has something for you. I really hope you'll like it." He said, and his chocolate eyes looked so warm and nice. _

_Tsuna let out a whoop of happiness, before her little fingers ripped apart the wrapping around the box. After all the paper had been discarded, she opened the box and her eyes widened in surprise. "Oh, papa..." She trailed off, her fingers carefully picking up the sparkling object with her two hands. _

_Her father hefted her up to his lap, before he looked over her shoulder. "Tsu-chan, this is a necklace. Even if it looks like a chain it's just a special necklace. One because it's from me," Sweet laughter echoed in the warm room, "and two, because it will help you in the future." He kissed the top of her head, sighing softly in what she deciphered as content, "Now, Tsu-chan, the chain means that we'll always be bonded together, even after an eternity passes!" Her papa spread his arms out wide, as if he was demonstrating how long it would be with his body. Tsuna smiled brightly at her papa's attempt to joke. _

_"I want you to take care of it. Wear it everyday, okay?" _

_And a bright bright grin, mirroring her father's, appeared on her face. _

_"Yes, papa!" _

_It was a beautiful day, one that she would never forget. _

* * *

"PAPA!" She woke up with a yell, her hazel orbs blown wide open as she tried to take a deep breath. She panted, her lips curled into a grimace as she realized that she wasn't laying on something soft, instead, it looked like she was in a room that was what a jail would look like, according to the movies that her mama watched, at least. She tried to take a deep breath, before slowly standing up.

And then she realized the shackles that were around her ankle.

Tears welled up again, this time she bit her lip so that she wouldn't make any noises. This place is _not_ safe, she realized, and she couldn't afford to make any noises. _Not_ now. _Not_ when her life was at stake.

Deep down, she questioned how she was so calm-she was so young, still a _child_, and she understood how dangerous the situation was? Was this even her body anymore? Did she mature overnight or something? Oh no, why-

When she glanced down, she saw that she still had the same body, young and small. She let out a sigh of relief, before she realized that she wasn't wearing anything warm. Her body was exposed, clothed only in a white dress that reached her knee, no further.

Her eyes widened in realization. She took a step back, and another, and another, until her back hit the wall, and she slid down on to her makeshift bed with her body shuddering and quaking in fear. "Oh god-" She whimpered, her fingers clutching the roots of her hair, almost pulling them out from her grip-

They-they-they stripped her bare and they-whenshe-when-

"I-I-" Panic gripped her mind immediately, and she swore everything got bigger, and everything was swirling into one huge ball of nothingness, a black hole? Why would a black hole be here? There was nothing here nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing nothing-

And she heard a scream, so loud, so scary, so full of anguish, and so much pain, she wondered who was screaming, and if they were okay. She couldn't go help the person though she had to stay put. The shackle was so annoying why was she wearing a shackle anyway?

The screaming stopped.

And when her throat started to feel scratchy, she barely noticed as numbness began to seep through her skin and flesh and into her bones.

Oh. She was the one screaming.

* * *

The first time they cut open her body, it felt like she'd be better off _dead_ than on the _operating table_ with _scientists _watching h_er_ why _are you looking at me like that _why are you smiling _is this fun_? _I_s _T_h_I_s _F_u_N_? _IS THIS FUN?!_

Her eyes were replaced, the eyes that were colored the same as her papa's were replaced by a color that was closer to her mama's and she doesn't want that-why did they change her eyes-her eyes were already good-very pretty-why she can hear a soft whirring from the eyes-is that even an eye-is that a robot-what if the robot gets up one day and attacks her while she sleeps-why would they change her body-why-why-why-?

And when they covered her eyes with bandages until she couldn't see a thing, her fear for darkness and loneliness multiplied like a little scrape turning into a massive explosion.

"Someone-_please_-turn on the lights-"

* * *

Time was marching forward, and she'd lost count of how long she'd stayed in this place. She finally felt comfortable with her new eyes, the eyes that did not shine like they used to, the eyes that burned dull orange whenever she couldn't control them, but it's good now, it's always shining copper, like the eyes of her mother. She hated it, though. She hated her eyes with a burning passion.

One day, she woke up to yelling only to get dragged to another box. There were people inside of the new box, and she wasn't sure why would they moved her into this new cell. Wouldn't it only fuel her wish to go outside? Ah, at least her inmates looked around her age. That was certainly a relief.

(But she had lost the will to go outside.)

She eyed the shackles that were now around her ankle once again with distaste, before she lifted her eyes to gaze at her new companions. She blinked, at the sight, before she giggled softly.

"Pardon me," Her voice was hoarse, rarely used for talking and always used for screams to beg for _mercy-relief_-_pity_, "But your hair look like a pineapple." She said with a soft smile (where did that smile come from? How in the world she did still manage to smile?)

The heterochromatic eyes blinked in surprise, before they changed to a different expression. The male smirked, and the female smiled softly at her. The chestnut haired girl smiled back, although her smile was a bit too bland for anyone's taste.

"Don't smile if you can't smile. Now that's just ridiculous." The male huffed, his purple _pineapple-hair? _swayed as he shook his head in disapproval. But the younger girl noticed that he spoke Japanese, just like her.

"You speak Japanese? How about you?" She asked, turning her gaze to the purple haired female who looked startled after she asked the question. Her cerulean eye shined with something that she couldn't understand, but the red eye turned slightly darker at the mention of Japanese. Did she...say something wrong?

"We're both from Japan, the same as you." The male answered easily, before he bowed slightly, a gesture of respect, "My name is Rokudo Mukuro, and her name is Chrome Dokuro." He lifted his head slightly, his lips twitched into a smirk.

The brunette blinked once again, then she let out a short laugh at the ridiculous act the boy-Mukuro does suddenly. She scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment, her cheeks burning red, and then she let a small smile appear on her face, bright and beautiful, like her smiles always were before all of this mess happened.

"My name is Tsunayoshi. Nice to meet you two."

* * *

They called for her again, and this time she knew that it would be one of those horrific changing-your-body-parts operations. She felt comfortable with her eyes now, what were they going to change now? Her voice? Her head? Oh, why didn't they just fucking replace her with a fucking robot? It seems like it'd be easier, she mused darkly as she followed the scientist to the white room.

Oh god-oh god-oh god-the _pain_-oh it's _burning_-is that her ear-_what_-why can she _see her ears_-why is that thing _dangling_ like that-oh my god-it's _painful_-she can't _hear a thing_-only _static_-only _shh_-only the sound of _broken electronics_-it's _painful_-it's _maddening_-it's _driving her crazy_-_why_-_why_-_why_-_why_-so _painful_-so _painful_-it's _bleeding_-_it's_ bleeding-it's bleeding _all over the place_-her ears she _can't feel her ears_-_whycan'tshefeelherears_-_where_isit-where_is_it-whereis_it_-

And when she returned to the jail, all she felt was numbness, spreading from the core of her heart, until to tips of her fingers.

* * *

"Subject 27, is who'll be your personal scientist." The old _scientist (not person-never person-not after how he cut her open like that) _pushed a male with green hair and lovely emerald orbs forward, earning the old man a groan and a glare from the green haired man. The old scientist laughed heartily _(but she could never trust his kind demeanor-they're all just lies-so many lies)_, before he waved them goodbye and left them with an awkward silence to deal with.

The man, strangely, was the first one to speak.

"My name is Verde. But I would appreciate it if you call me _Signore _Verde, even if our ages are not that different." He said, his voice cold and all business. Still, Tsuna couldn't really blame him _(expected it in fact-but maybe she would give this one-this new one a chance)_. Everything was so neat and proper here, and being all casual like the old man earlier was required a high ranking place, and it seemed like the man _(closer to a boy) _in front of her wasn't too high on the caste of the scientists.

"Subject 27 at your service. Or you could call me Tsuna." She bowed slightly, showing her respect toward the _others (the ones above her-the ones that can hurt her)_, and the man scoffed.

"Rise. I do not need you bowing like that. It is...annoying." Verde said, his lips turning downward, doing a wonderful job at showing how annoyed he was.

"Of course, _signore._" She whispered. She straighten her back, her head still low, a sign of submission. Verde scoffed, before he turns, his back facing her, and Tsuna didn't know whether she was relieved because of the lack of attention that was given or disappointed because _is that all? _(_for some reason she had hoped for more_)

(_She wondered why she even bothered to think about being disappointed. It was better this way._)

* * *

Her new ears picked up everything. From a person's breathing, to a soft murmur between two individuals (_lovers_, she noted idly, _who knew those still existed?_) whose locations weren't too far away. They were probably around one kilometre from where she was, and this made Tsuna wonder just how much her hearing had improved.

The noises that usually didn't bother Tsuna (_like when someone was sneezing or the wet noises that the scientists made when stitching skin back together after an operation_) were now annoying her to no end. When the scientists slurred their words and makes their speaking more disgusting than usual (_because they were oh so disgusting with their mouths shut already_), she had to hold in the urge to bash her head against the wall (_if I do it enough times maybe the noises-the things I shouldn't even be able to hear-will go away_), and it happened way too often for her own liking.

The good part was that she could prepare herself for whenever a scientist showed up without any warning (_as they were sooooo prone to doing because it was entertaining to see the terror on the startled children's faces-no, not children's-_experiments _were all they were to _them_)_. And she could pick up any conversations between the scientists, and if they spoke close enough or loud enough, she could pick up any tone or hint hidden in their words, and god, she found out so many things that were pretty much irrelevant to her life at this moment, but still so important in a way (_because information is power and she needed power to leave this place_).

(_Like that one female scientist who said that she lusting after the newly appointed strongest and youngest hitman in the world, Reborn. Tsuna filed that information away for blackmail, it would be fun._)

"Why are you smiling like that, Tsu-chan?" Chrome asked as she combed Tsuna's tangled hair. Her hair was very pretty, a shade of caramel with a hint of chocolate between the strands, but Tsuna had denied that statement with a determination as vicious as a panther. Chrome was not amused, and she pretty much forced Tsuna to sit down and let Chrome manage her hair.

"I found another secret." Tsuna replied, her copper orbs twinkling with mischievousness-looking too much like a cat who had found her prey (_to cover up the dread_). Chrome let out a sigh of amusement, before she massaged Tsuna's temples as gently as she could, and the girl sighed softly in contentment (_around these two, these fellow experiments, her thoughts weren't quite so loud_).

"What's the secret?" Chrome asked, her voice a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Tsuna grinned at her older sister figure, her eyes trailing upward to the indigo haired girl who smiled at her fondly.

"It's about _signore_ Verde." Tsuna hummed, her lips curled into this smile that reminded Chrome of a tale when she was young. The Chesire Cat, wasn't it?

"They said that _signore_ Verde is too much of a tight ass to have fun properly!" The brunette giggled, and Chrome sighed in annoyance.

"They really just can't control their language around minors, can they..." The older female sighed once again, before she smiled.

(_But Tsuna could never tell her-never tell her that she had heard the scientists planning to do something with her fingers._)

* * *

**Break. Break. Break. Break. Break. Break.**

**Break. Break. Break. Break. Break. Break.**

_Numb. _

**Break. Break. Break. Break. Break. Break.**

**Break. Break. Break. Break. Break. Break.**

_Oh, it's bleeding. _

**Crack. Click. Snip. Crack. Click. Snip.**

_Look at that, her fingers are finally back._

**On. On. On. On. On. On.**

_Her digits returned. They look shiny. _

**Off. Off. Off. Off. Off. Off.**

_Test? Her fingers can move. _

**On. On. On. On. ON. BREAK. **

_An accident's occurred? _

**BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK BREAK**

_Oh. Pretty blood on the wall. So beautiful. _

* * *

"_Signore_ Verde?" She asked as she eyed the young scientist who was now examining her fingers. He had her move them, and doing little tasks like writing, carrying things, holding hands (_which made her look at Verde strangely, but she entwined her fingers with Verde's-he said it was for science anyway_) and then she was told to touch something with the tip of her finger.

And instantly she could _feel_ _so much more._

"Yes?" The scientist asked, his emerald depths still fixated on her digits. She wondered if she would be crossing the line at this request, but decide that the scientist could reject her if he wants to (_and hopefully won't hit her because of it-but he was nicer than the rest so he probably wouldn't_). She has wanted to ask this for so long.

"Smile for me?" She requested, and the question made Verde pause. He looked up, eyes narrowing as he tried to find anything strange within her expression, but when he found nothing, his shoulders slumped. He let out a sigh, before he smiled-or, at least attempted to (_what a pathetic smile_).

Tsuna giggled.

"Signore, that is not how you smile! A smile is like this!" She let her lips curl into a beautiful smile, one that made her cheeks redden slightly and her lips feel tingly after she smiled, but it felt good (_she didn't get many chances to smile here_), and it made her heart warm when Verde stared at her with a slight blush on his cheeks (_maybe now he'll know how to properly smile)_.

"You...have a beautiful smile, subject 27." He said as he cleared his throat, and this made Tsuna giggle happily.

"Thank you!"

"Your..ah, welcome..."

(_She decided, that moment, that Verde would always be her favorite scientist. It's not like he had any competition in the first place._)

* * *

"Muku-_nii_? I, um, can I cuddle with you and Chrome-_nee_? I can't sleep." She mumbled softly, her eyes on the floor, finding it much more interesting than the pineapple haired man (_boy-a year or two older than her_) who stared at her, his mismatched eyes filled with amusement.

"Kufufu, of course you can." Mukuro said, his arms wide open to embrace the young girl. Tsuna beamed at him, before she quickly snuggled between Mukuro and Chrome who smiled softly at the girl's act. She looked cute when she acted her age, and both Mukuro and Chrome were glad to be amongst the chosen few allowed to see Tsuna act so childishly.

"It's so warm..." The youngest between the three of them whispered, her eyelids slowly closing. Mukuro chuckled in amusement as he ruffled the girl's hair, and Chrome decided to move closer, so that the girl could feel more comfortable.

And she did.

With their backs propped against the wall, the one in the middle-Tsuna-slipped into a deep sleep. Both Mukuro and Chrome stared at the girl for a moment, before they nodded to each other, their expressions mirror images.

Grim.

They had to escape along with their little sister.

Even if they had to kill all of Estraneo's scientists.

"_Signore_...Verde..." Tsuna mumbled softly, talking in her sleep. Mukuro quirked an eyebrow while Chrome smiled softly at the display, and thus the duo agreed on another term.

Spare no one but the bespectacled scientist that Tsuna has grown fond of.

Only him.

So...they would have to warn him, it seems.

* * *

"_Signore_ Verde!" Tsuna called out, her lips twitching into a bright smile. Verde tilted his head slightly in acknowledgement, and Tsuna ran to his side. Verde looked at her for a moment, before he shrugged and continued on his track, choosing to not say a thing, lest it would be overheard by the other scientists.

"How are you today, _signore_?" Tsuna asked, her eyes watching him in interest. Verde simply shrugged his shoulder in reply. His day was boring, to say the least. The only interesting thing that was going around the place was the girl beside him right now. Nothing else was interesting, that's why he shrugged.

"Because, _signore_ Verde, judgment will fall today, tonight, to those who sin." The girl hummed, her voice soft as if she was telling a secret, and it was their secret code, that the counter attack would be tonight, and Verde had to go away as soon as possible (_after all he had become her friend and she doesn't want her friend dying_).

The arms that hung loosely at his side tightened slightly.

* * *

"My throat is bleeding-" Tsuna whispered as she held a cloth against her neck. It wasn't too deep, it didn't reach her windpipe, but it was still deep enough to gush out blood. And it seemed like it would leave a scar if it wasn't treated properly; seeing as they were in the middle of running away from the Estraneo, the chances of the wound getting treated were close to none. But, since her ocher flame (_that she discovered when the pain-burning pain-in her eyes intensified_) neutralized the bacteria, it was probably safe to say that it wouldn't get infected. At least, she hoped so.

But then Mukuro's hand twitched, and he stopped in his tracks. This caused the young girl to stumbled forward, before she whipped her head back so she could see Mukuro's expression. His face turned paler and paler, and by the time that Tsuna finally registered why his face was so pale, it was too late.

The sound of chains rattling, broke the silence in the middle of the forest. _Vindice_.

"You should go." Mukuro murmured as he straightened his back, crimson and sky blue eyes moving from side to side in a cautious manner. Tsuna shook her head in defiance, her caramel orbs showing her reluctance. At least, those eyes had light again, Mukuro thought absentmindedly.

"N-no! I'm staying-!" Tsuna whispered furiously, her lips tightening in anger. Her eyes turned into a sunset shade, ears twitching when they picked up the echo of more chains, more chains, more than one? why more than one- and she cracked her fingers, a sign that she was ready.

But this was not her battle, it would never be her battle.

"Tsuna, please go." Chrome whispered, her lithe fingers untying her skull eyepatch. It wasn't even going to be a battle, both Mukuro and Chrome knew that. She knew that the two of them would be detained, just because their opponents were simply out of this world, their power was unbelievable. So to think that it would be a battle was ridiculous, and therefore, Tsuna could not be involved in this.

"Bu-but-"

"DAMMIT SAWADA TSUNAYOSHI, GO!" Mukuro yelled, his heterochromatic eyes blazing with nervousness and anger, and this jolted Tsuna from her fear for them. She knew she had to go, she knew she had to go but she couldn't leave them here, she couldn't she couldn't she couldn't-

"Tsu. Take this." Mukuro said, as he handed her the chain necklace that was taken by the scientists long, long ago, the last memento that she held as the reminder that her father was still out there, probably looking for her. How in the world-

"Now. Go."

A sob left her lips as her back turned towards them, her shoulders trembling at the thought of leaving her friends to _them_, the most inhuman jail in the whole wide world but there was nothing that she could do, there was nothing at all and- and-

As she ran, ran away from her fates, ran away from her dear, dear brother and sister, her mind was filled with thoughts that clouded her judgment, and with every last drop of will that she owned, she screamed inwardly, still minding the fact that Vindice were probably still after her ass.

TSUNAYOSHI IS _DEAD_.

Yes, she was dead now, along with that destroyed building, along with the fallen form of her siblings, and now she was free, free from anymore experimentation conducted by scientists.

Tsunayoshi died in the rubble and rocks that remained of the Estraneo's lab.

But Tsuru lived on, escaping from the forest and entering a city with so many people around, all who were laughing and speaking in Italian.

She did not register the approaching footsteps, fast and hurried to her side.

"Mio dio! Are you okay? What's your name? Where's your parents?!" Asked a voice frantically. When she let her gaze trail upward, she found herself staring into a pair of midnight shaded eyes, looking at her in concern (_concern that she hadn't seen for years in a stranger's face_).

Her lips formed a weak smile.

"My name...My name is Tsuru..."

And she blacked out.

* * *

Under the care of the girl who was to be the successor of the Giglio Nero, Tsuru slowly returned to full health. She thanked the girl profusely and multiple times, and the girl simply waved her gratitude away every time with a carefree laugh and beautiful smile, one that left Tsuru in a daze.

Tsuru learned that her name was Luce.

"Tsu-chan, let's go shopping! Come on!" Tsuru could only comply with her request, even when she knew Luce knew about her growing resentment with shopping. But then again, seeing as how the cobalt haired girl had saved her so many times now, this was only a small bit of repayment for that favor. After this, she probably would reject every time Luce asked her to go to the mall together.

Oh, well, at least she wasn't alone in this dreaded fate of hers. Some of the men were also not looking forward to shopping with their lady. Oh come on, Luce went mad when she was shopping, and this was a well known fact amongst the Giglio Nero.

"Luce-_sama_, please let me put on my shoes first-" Tsuru stuttered. Luce giggled, and when Tsuru finished putting on her shoes (they were simply Mary-Janes, Luce's old pair of shoes), Luce immediately laced their fingers together and dragged her forward, a bright look entering the girl's pretty features.

Tsuru could only sigh softly, her lips twitching into a soft smile. What a crazy mistress Luce was.

* * *

Hayato was one of the people that she first listened to. At that time, she had just bid the Giglio Nero her goodbye with the excuse of not wanting to burden them anymore, and she was assaulted with a bear hug by her dear friend (yes, she was her friend now, a very dear one), Luce. And when she left the place with a smile on her face, she realized that she didn't know the streets at all.

Curse her _dame_ness. Curse it all the way to hell.

She huffed, choosing to travel by foot and made a point to enjoy the scenery instead. It was still early, people were still in their homes, and Tsuru couldn't be happier. The air was fresh, still pretty humid from rain last night, but really, the chocolate haired girl couldn't complain at all.

And then her ears twitched at the sound of a pained groan.

Of course, being the complete softy that she is (and this quality was multiplied by Luce who found it adorable), she immediately jetted off to where the sound originated. And she rolled her eyes when she ended up in front of a dark alley, the light of the sun not having reached the place yet.

Of course.

She stepped into the alley way cautiously, her lips pursed into a tight line. More groans were heard, and the sound of fabric scratching against itself means that the person had tried to move, but couldn't, and this made Tsuna wonder just how much pain the person was in.

Her eyes caught a glimmer of silver moving, and she decided to hurry.

"Wa-wait! Whoever's there, stop moving! I'm not here to hurt you!" Tsuru hissed, and this made the rustling of fabric stop. Tsuru breathed out a sigh in relief, before she hurried to the person's side, and her eyes widened.

For a male, this person was beautiful. Silver hair, emerald eyes, tightened lips and-oh, god, okay, focus, girl!

"Stay." Tsuru whispered, and then she let her flames (which were Sky Flames, Luce told her) cover her hands. She took a deep breath, her fingers pressing against the wound. The stranger hissed, before those jade eyes blinked in surprise. Probably because the pain stopped.

"Okay. It should have at least killed the bacteria. I still need to dress it, though." Tsuru mumbled, and then she opened the box that she had been carrying around. Tsuru noticed, because of how sensitive her feet are, that she was way more prone to accidents, and thus causing her much of her clumsiness back in Giglio Nero manor. Luce had affectionately labeled her a ditzy girl, but Tsuru only sweatdropped at the title, knowing what was happening to her was not because of her so called ditziness, it was just pure clumsiness.

So, because of that, when she left the Giglio Nero, Luce made her take a first aid kit, and told her how to dress wounds, in case she managed to fall head first into trouble, knowing the fact that Tsuru was a trouble magnet. Tsuru had smacked Luce's shoulder at that time, but now, she was so glad that Luce made her bring the box.

Returning her attention to the task in front of her, she let her eyes turns a brighter shade of orange, examining how much damage the silver haired male had on that body of his. The wound on his side was the worst one, the others were just a few small cuts here and there, and it seemed like it only needed time to heal. And so she told him to lose the shirt, and thank god almighty that he does (_even though he stared at her weirdly for asking-but she ignored that_), and she made a point not to ogle as she wrapped the gauze around his waist, smiling when she actually did a decent job dressing the wound.

The stranger sighed in relief, before his olive eyes trailed back up to Tsuru looking at her in wonder. "Your name?" The stranger asked, and the brunette smiled at that.

"Tsuru, pleased to meet you, mister...?"

"Gokudera Hayato. Nice to meet you as well, Tsuru-_hime_."

"W-what, don't call me Tsuru-_hime_!"

"Tsuru-_hime_ is Tsuru-_hime_!"

"Gokudera-san-"

"Then I'll call you Tsu-_hime_! Call me Hayato."

"O-okay, then, Hayato, please don't call me Tsu-_hime_..."

"Too late."

"Why-"

"Just too late."

"Bu-but...Fine." She huffed, smiling slightly when Hayato smiled at her gently, turning his features into something even softer, and making him even more beautiful in her eyes.

"Why are you here anyway, Hayato?" She asked as she plopped down next to him, not too close but not too far away either. Hayato lets out a soft hum, and Tsuru picked up that either he didn't want to talk about it, or he wanted to, but he needed permission to tell the story.

"You know, I'm here to listen." She said, and that did it.

He went on a rant about his family, particularly his 'bastard of a father'. He told her about his mother who he never got to know, about his half-sister who made him to faint every time he saw her face, and about the maids who couldn't shut their mouths.

While listening to him talking his heart out, Tsuru noted absentmindedly that every time his father was mentioned his lips would curl in disgust, when his mother was mentioned his eyes would water like he wanted to cry, and when his sister was mentioned his face would get this green tinge, probably from the poisoned food that he mentioned earlier.

"...and that's why I'm running away." Hayato finished, and Tsuru let out a hum that conveyed more than words could have. Hayato slumped onto the crate next to him, and he flashed her an awkward smile, his green eyes showing not only gratitude, but also respect.

"Thank you for listening." Hayato breathed out, and Tsuna giggled.

"Your welcome, Hayato."

* * *

And then somehow, the rumor spread about a girl who always listened to your problems. Her trademark became the scarf around her neck that she always wore no matter the weather. Of course, it all started when she listened to a stranger (_that she forgot to ask the name of since he immediately took off when he finished his story_) in public, and then another, and another, and another, and then eventually she gained popularity.

Well, enough to the point that she wanted to run away for a moment.

"Hayato! I need to get away for a moment-" Tsuru frantically said on the phone, and without even a sliver of hesitation, Hayato immediately agreed and told the girl that he would book a plane to Japan, and Tsuru mumbled that they should go to Namimori (_it would be for closure by coming full circle because for her, it all began in Namimori_).

And when she landed on the land where the sun rising, a smile perched on her lips unconsciously when she realized how much she missed this place. She wondered if Kyo-kun was still terrorizing Namimori, if her old classmates had grown to better people, and if her mama was still there.

"Oh!" A (kind of) familiar voice let out a gasp, before her ears twitched as the person ran towards her, immediately glomping her for no reason at all. Hayato growled menacingly as he readied his bombs, but Tsuru told him, "Hayato, please put down the dynamite." He reluctantly obeyed her and shoved his bombs back into his pocket.

"Sawada!" The person exclaimed excitedly, before worries clouded his expression. "You- remember me, right?" The olive skinned male asked, his brown eyes wide with worry that she won't recognize him.

The girl giggled.

"The one and only, Yamamoto-san. Oh, please call me Tsuru instead of Sawada." She requested, and Yamamoto nodded back with a bright grin that rivaled a sun.

"Then call me Takeshi!" He replied happily, and Tsuru couldn't help but let a smile overtake her expression.

"Tsu-_hime_, this is..?" Hayato's voice trailed off from behind her, and she struggled to stand up. She patted her skirt, and then she dragged Takeshi to Hayato's side as she grinned brightly.

"Hayato, this is Takeshi! Takeshi, this is Hayato!" She introduced excitedly, and Takeshi, of course, being the happy-go-lucky person that he was, smiled at Hayato who glared at him with the fiery strength of a thousand hells.

"Mess with _hime_ and you will personally be facing me and my dynamite." Hayato hissed, and Takeshi laughed.

"Ahaha! You're funny! I like you already!" And of course, Hayato being Hayato, this triggered his temper triggered and he took out his bombs, causing Tsuru to sweatdrop at the over reaction.

Oh well, at least no one was injured.

* * *

"...Kyo-_kun_." She greeted, a sad smile appearing on her features. In front of her, stood the Demon of Namimori, tonfa ready at his sides. The raven haired teen scanned her from the top of her head to her toes, before he stuffed his tonfa into his pockets, eyes averted from her figure.

"Kyo-_kun_-I-"

"Save it, Tsu."

This made her stop.

"I don't need your apology or anything." He gruffly said. Tears started streaming down her cheeks, and he couldn't stop her before her arms were wrapped around his torso, her tears soaking his uniform.

For once he ignored the fact that they were technically crowding, because he missed her, dammit, he missed her so much and now, she was here, she was back, and they could spend the days together, together, just the two of them.

"I- Kyo-_kun_\- I'm sorry but I-" She sobbed out, choking while trying to breathe. Kyoya sighed at this, and he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, like what she did to him before she left Namimori to wherever she was taken, letting a small smile tug at his lips.

"It's okay." _As long as you return to my side_ went unsaid, but noticed. Tsuru smiled oh so happily, before she rubbed away her tears and the arm around Kyoya's torso tightened for a moment, and Kyoya letting his hanging arms hug the girl who smiled against his body, and Kyoya didn't even care if anyone saw him smiling or hugging a person.

He didn't care at all.

* * *

Of course, being the very famous person that she was, when she returned to Italy, she was immediately swamped with people who wanted to tell her their stories. One of them was Enma Kozato, the successor of the Shimon _famiglia_, who managed to run away from his Guardians.

"Enma." She greeted with a smile, and the smile was replied to with his own smile and a wave of his hand. His heart skipped a beat as he studied the girl's features, and the way the light hit her face just right, making her look like she was glowing like an angel, and she did look a lot like an angel, with her white dress and the wedges he just gave her-thank god that they were the right size-and with her caramel shaded hair that fell just right over her shoulders-

_Oh god, he thinks he's in love because, dang it, she's just so beautiful. _

"Enma?" He heard her ask, and he couldn't help but notice how her voice managed to make the Italian language which already sounded beautiful turn even more beautiful, the way the light accent colored her voice, and just- _damn_.

He wondered just how the girl didn't realize that men worshiped the ground that she walked on.

"Enma!" Finding himself face to face with the girl of his dreams, he was startled so badly that he had to take a step back. Tsuru pouted at how silent he was being, and then her pout dissolved into a smile as she linked her arm with his.

Poor Enma.

"I-I'm okay, Tsuru-_san_." Enma stuttered, and she smiled brightly at this, causing the poor boy's face to turns even redder. Tsuru giggled, before she dragged him out from the shade, smiling all the way.

"Come on! The day is so beautiful, let's go on a walk!" She said happily, and when Enma nodded, Tsuru's grin turned slightly mischievous. "Alright! It's a date!"

And Enma's face could have easily rivaled a tomato.

They spent the day like that, strolling around the park, enjoying gelato that they bought from a stand, sitting at a cafe and nursing a cup of tea and coffee, and then they ended their 'date' under the same tree they met at this morning.

"It's been fun," Tsuru smiled, and she pressed her lips against his cheek, and at that exact moment, Enma thought back on their 'date' when they had played around with each other, flirting harmlessly, and when it was just so so fun around her, he thought that if he had a sister, he would want it to be Tsuru.

Enma smiled at her.

"Yeah, it was fun, sis."

* * *

"How in the world did you managed to walk around with that kind of wound, sir?!" Tsuna asked frantically, her orange eyes burning brightly in the middle of the night. The blonde stranger chuckled in amusement, though he winced afterwards when he accidentally hurt his chest more.

"Oh god, and there's more wounds-is that a bullet I see?! I don't know how you're even alive, sir, I really don't." She rambled as she took out her first aid kit box. Thank the god up there that she chose to refill her supply in that morning because now her box was filled to the brim with everything that she needed, and boy, was she glad about that.

Using a knife that she usually carried for emergencies (_and this was definitely an emergency!_), she tore open his shirt. Biting her lower lips, she fell into her usual routine whenever she stumbled upon people who were hurt. Flame, let it burn the wound for a moment, wraps the gauze around the wound, repeat. She practically managed to turn the man into a damn mummy, there were so many injuries.

"I never knew that _Il_ _Ascoltatore_ could heal wounds too?" The blonde joked, his lips parted to let out an amused chuckle but then he immediately shut up when Tsuru glared down at him with all the intensity of a woman scorned.

"Don't joke around when you're in pain!" She admonished, and the blonde nodded sheepishly.

"Can I call you anything then _Il Ascoltatore_? It's kind of a mouthful, if you haven't noticed." The man sighed in relief when the pain lessened, it was still faintly there, but it was numbed to a certain degree and damn, was he glad for that. Oh boy, Lal was not going to be happy when he returned...

"Call me Tsuru." She mumbled. "We should go to my place for now, I need to take care of the wounds on your legs, so unless if you're into exhibitionism-and I hope you're not-I suggest that we move now." Tsuru lifted her eyes to look at the baby blue eyes that stared back at her, "What do you want to do, sir...?

"Colonello." He answered hastily, before he nodded. There was no way he could return to his place without getting his ass kicked by Lal, so it was better to hide for the moment. "Sure, let's go to your place." And Colonello could say that Tsuru was visibly relieved when he agreed.

To say that when they were walking to Tsuru's apartment was awkward, was an understatement. It was downright mortifying. Tsuru's height didn't really let him to lean against her, but at least she could help him stand because holy shit, how in the world did he manage to not notice the pain in his legs?! It must've be the adrenaline.

"We're here." She murmured, and when she unlocked the door, Colonello couldn't help but gape. He expected the place to be good, seeing as to how famous Tsuru was, but when he actually scanned his surroundings, good didn't even cover it. It was magnificent.

As she helped him sit on the white couch (_he inwardly cringed at the bloodstains he was getting on it-his bandages having been bleed through on the way there_), he sighed when he could finally rest, and stop putting pressure on his legs. Tsuru told him to lose his pants, to which he replied with something that sounds mildly suggestive, and Tsuru shut him up by pressing on one of the reddened parts of his bandages.

Cracking her fingers, she turned her fingers on as they let out a soft whirring noise that no one but her could hear. Letting her fingers rest around the wounded area, she grabbed a scalpel from her extensive medical equipment. Taking a deep breath, she told Colonello not to yell, and then she pressed the scalpel against his skin.

And Colonello, somehow, managed to not scream _too_ loudly.

Taking out the bullet that was nestled in his thigh, she bit her lips as she cauterized the wound so it wouldn't get infected. She then took out 3 more bullets, all while wondering how in the world Colonello had still managed to stand and walk to her apartment.

Dressing all of wounds, she took a deep breath. "It's done." She whispered as she patted his thigh gently. Colonello laughed weakly, his bangs sticking to his sweat soaked forehead. Tsuru, pitying the sorry state of the man left the room for a moment to grab a blanket, before she returned to lay the blanket on top of the man.

"Thanks." Colonello breathed out, and Tsuru nodded.

"Do you want something to eat?" The brunette asked, and the azure eyed man chuckled once again.

"Something warm, please." He said, and Tsuru smirked.

"You got it."

After she whipped out a quick and delicious looking soup, she returned to the living room, only to find that Colonello had fallen asleep. It seemed like the man was extremely exhausted, and after having found a comfortable spot, he was immediately out like a light. Tsuru giggled as she brushed his bangs to the side, silently drinking in his peaceful features.

"Nhh... Tsuru...?" Colonello mumbled. Tsuru let out a soft giggle, before a smile appeared on her face.

"Good morning, Colonello-_san_. I made you soup, I hope you'll like it." The brunette whispered, amused at the way the man lit up at the mention of food.

"Oh, wow, thank you." Colonello tried to sit up, but apparently his very tired body was protesting every movement that he was trying to make, and then he flopped back onto the sofa, groaning at even the slightest of twitches that he made. Tsuru let out a concerned noise, before she helped him sit up, and let him rest his back against the couch.

"You should eat, and then move to one of the guest rooms. It'll probably be better for your back." Tsuru mumbled as she pressed the warm bowl into his hands. Colonello let out a short thanks, and then proceeded to gobble up his food. Tsuru winced at his lack of manners, but she didn't say anything.

"Oh, that was delicious."

"Thank you!"

"No, thank _you_."

"Your welcome, Colonello-_san_."

* * *

And when he left that night, she found on her coffee table a hydrangea and a phone number the next morning. And believe it or not, she knew who left the phone number, even without a name.

"Leaving a number without a name is so Cinderella, don't you think?"

"_Oh, Tsuru, good morning~!_"

"Morning, Colonello-_san_. I assume that you are well enough to travel now?"

"_Yeah. Can't really leave the base for too long. They would get suspicious. I can already see the future ass-kicking I will get when I return to my instructor._"

"Good luck with that. Sounds like you'll need it."

"_Oh my god, why do those words sound so ominous?_"

"Because they're true. You will need luck-no wait, not even luck will save you."

"_Tsuru, I think your intuition is good and all, but damn, that sounds scary as fuck._"

"I try."

"_I didn't peg you to be one of those sassy people, though._"

"You learn new things every day."

"_Tsuru, no._"

"Colonello-_san_, yes."

"_Oh well. Can I tell you a story on another day_?"

"Sure. Just give me a ring or...visit my place if you want to."

"_Okay. I'll give you a ring in...three days. Probably._"

"Ah, okay, sure."

"_Mnn. Okay. I'll hang up now. I'm close to my base._"

"I- yeah, okay."

"_Okay._"

"Bye."

"_See you in three days, Tsuru._"

And he did show up three days later, bringing pizza and a smile.

* * *

While nursing a wine glass in his hands, Colonello sighed as he leaned his back against the wall. Tsuru glanced at him with orange juice in her hands, tilting her head slightly to motion for the man to start talking. And he did, after a very long pause between the two.

But the silence wasn't awkward. It wasn't awkward at all.

"I'm in love." He blurted out, and immediately averted his eyes when Tsuru's eyebrow arched up in amusement and curiosity. "I-I'm in love with my instructor who's so busy now with a man from her _famiglia_. Her attention on training me has been halved, and then she spends more time in their HQ than on the training grounds!" He huffed, lips pulled down in annoyance.

"And...?" She let her question hang in the air, knowing that Colonello would take the bait. And of course, he did. He never disappointed her when it came to taking her bait. It was so easy, but it was also amusing.

"It's all CEDEF's fault. Especially that bastard Iemitsu," Colonello hissed. At the very, very familiar name of her papa, her pupils widened slightly.

"C-Could you please repeat that name?" She stuttered out, and Colonello stares at her with confusion clear in his aqua eyes.

"Iemitsu, why?"

Her breath stopped.

"Is his..last name Sawada?" She cautiously asked, and when he nodded slightly at her question, her shoulders slumped in resignation. Of course. Of course it had to be her papa. But instead of jumping up and down because she'd finally found her papa bitterness flooded her every sense, clouding her with the color of _blue_-_blue_-_blue_-

"Colonello-_san_, what is Iemitsu-_san_'s position in CEDEF?"

"The head of CEDEF."

He was a high ranking person who didn't look for her, didn't look for his own daughter who was kidnapped and- and-

"Was there a woman called Nana Sawada as well...?"

"How do you know so much? And yes. There is."

"Word on the street and all, ahaha..."

Her laugh sounded so fake. Both she and Colonello knew that she was just faking her laugh, but she couldn't help it. She really couldn't stop the pain when it flooded her eyes (_the deep-deep-deep pain-when the realization of 'he wasn't searching for you' seeped into her very bones-so deep-so deep-so much pain_).

"Tsuru? Are you okay?" Colonello asked, worry tainting his voice.

(_She would've laughed at it if her mind wasn't so preoccupied-wasn't running so fast-wasn't telling her to leave-leave-leave-_)

"Damn it all to hell, Dad how could you?" She hissed, her caramel eyes turning a shade darker with resentment.

* * *

And when she found her papa, standing alone looking for her, she knew that this event would take every single ounce of her willpower to resist the urge to stand and punch the man right in the nose.

(_But_ _of course-she couldn't-she promised Colonello and she didn't want to break her promises-not like _that woman _who promised to come back-not like _that man _who promised to protect her_)

The man told her stories about her dear, dear wife, about his work in Vongola, how precious the people who worked under him are, how stupid Vongola Nono is at times, and how peaceful it was and how it was pretty boring in the HQ when there was no war.

(_Not even a single mention of his daughter. _

_Not even a word or a name. _

_Like he had forgotten her._)

So with a stiff bow to the man who looked at her with questions clear in his eyes, she turned her back to him, knowing that forsaking her last name was the right decision. Why not, when her own papa had already forgotten about her existence? Oh, it was probably because of her _wonderful _mother.

She laughed bitterly, deciding to return to her apartment instead of roaming the streets of Italia like usual.

(_It'd_ _be better to hide for a bit. _

_It was better this way._)

* * *

So there she was, walking down the street of Italia once again, chatting with mafiosi left and right, smiling as she waved them goodbye and returned to her walks, and when she rested at a bench, the man with a strange checkered mask approached her, and offered her a job that looked very, very interesting. Of course, since she was bored and all, she chose to accept it, not even thinking about the possible consequences that she could face.

But she would never regret it, damn it. Not when her road looks so bright and inviting now.

Not when it was finally possible for her to gain the ending that she wanted, a fairy-tale ending.

But of course, she didn't know that she would meet another six people who were so interesting, and that they would change the way she thought.

And boy, what an adventure it was.

* * *

**A/N : **I know you guys asked for the plot to move, but damn, the draft was strange as hell. I don't know how in the world I even managed to finish half of it but it was strange and OOC as fuck, and I think I'm gonna do some more fillers before we move on to the next point of the plot. Just sayin'.

(The draft was so bad it will make you _hurl_)

What made me take so long to update...it was the shitty draft. I can't get the muse to get go, and so, I kept on changing the draft, before finally settling with this one. And this one? I managed to type 8k in three? four? days, so yeah. Hehe. And then after editing, BOOM. 9k+. On the old draft, I was planning to get 8k, but in the end, I got more~ The old one has a lot of Arco27, but then my Tenth Generation feels breaking through and boom again. I could have choose not to write them, but I did. And it feels good. I will write Ryohei and Lambo in the future. Just...not sure when ;)

Oh, and 0027 moment was asked by one of the readers back then! Cheers for you, I hope Enma wasn't OOC. ^^); It's really my first time writing him oh god.

**Reply for reviews~**

_Wonderland alice-san : _I'm really sorry about not continuing the plot then :C Like I said above, it was strange as heck, and then...yeah. It brought you to tears? Thanks evanescentfacade because I sure as heck that the original draft wouldn't make you cry at all XD Thank you!

_awesome-san : _And I hope you'll love it more. Thanks for reviewing! :D

_Guest-san : _Oh no, I did not update soon :C I'm sorry. I hope 9k+ is good enough? ;) Thank you for reviewing!

_anonymouse-san : _Love and marriage...hmnnn…. The story wouldn't cover anyone's marriage, so yeah ovo); for love, though, let's just see what will happen, yes? ;) but really, the only reason I put on so many HibaTsu's moment because you guys seems to like it? So yeah. It's a...treat, although the real main pairing is the Arcobaleno and Tsuna. XD

I think I should shut up now. I hope the next update isn't going to be this long... Let's just pray my IRL is not interfering with anything, yeah? ;)

**Ciao! **


	10. Mundane days part 1

**A/N : **So. Thank you for waiting, here's the next chapter, which nothing important happen, but you gotta read it to understand the plot-sort of. I'm uploading this at 17th April, I don't know what time you are right now, so yea. So at 17th April is my birthday (i'm 17 now yay me) and I thank **evanescentfacade **for actually finish betaing this chapter before 17th-god, thank you so much! And thank you for all the follows, reviews and favorites. You guys are the best *heart* oh, and announcement below! c:

Without further ado, enjoy~

* * *

_And mundane days did happened in between..._

"Tsu," Tsuru lifted her vision from the book that laid on her lap, her caramel orbs widened in surprise. She turned her head to watch the green haired scientist approach where she was sitting, his hands stuffed in his coat's pockets. She tilted her head slightly in question, and Verde had a sudden urge to stop what he wanted to do, but his scientist side who was begging to experiment on her won by a landslide.

"Can I...check on the things that were installed in the experiments?" Verde asked, his eyes flickering from her eyes to her ears, and then to her fingers. Tsuru unconsciously cradled her right hand, all while looking at Verde with a suspicious gaze.

"It's nothing serious, I assure you. I merely wish to know how your mechanic body parts are performing after all these years.." Verde trailed off, his gaze settling on a wall close to the two of them, which was on his left, to prevent Tsuru from thinking that he was pressuring her by staring.

"...Sure? I assume that this is just the usual check up. Like before." Tsuru said as she dropped the heavy book she was holding in the free space next to her. Her lips were pressed tightly together as she debated the pros and cons of the situation, but then she nodded, eyes resting on the male.

"Okay then. Here or...?"

Verde smiled slightly. "Here is fine." He glanced backward, eyes boring holes into the three people who were eavesdropping on their conversation, "Besides I think they want to observe what will be performed in the exam."

His face was flat, but his voice showed the obvious amusement that he felt. He predicted that the others might peek, but seeing that they actually did made him slightly smug about how well he could read his comrades.

"I'm just making sure that Tsuru is fine." Reborn gruffly said, fixing the fedora that was tilted slightly on top of his head. Fon smiled nervously as he fiddled with his sleeves, and Mammon crossed her arms above her chest, eyes averted to look anywhere but at Verde and Tsuru.

Tsuru smiled, amused, "Of course."

Mammon sighed as if she was done with all of the pretending to not be listening in, before she plopped down next to Tsuru who tilted her head in question at the sudden move. "I want to watch." Mammon said flatly, her gaze staying on Verde.

"Then let's start with... Your hands? Or do you want to do your eyes first?" Verde asked as he kneeled in front of Tsuru. The girl blinked for a moment, before she smiled as she cracked her fingers. The usually soft whirring noise turned slightly louder than usual, loud enough that Reborn and Fon, who finally joined the group near the couch, could hear them clearly.

"It wasn't that loud before." The scientist remarked as he flipped her hands around, moving her fingers one at a time. Tsuru nodded as she wiggled her middle finger, also wondering why it was so loud suddenly.

"Usually it's only me who can hear the noise, but now it's so loud it's kind of scary. It feels like something is starting to rust." She stated quietly, letting Verde move her fingers gently.

"Other than her fingers, what else did they change?" Reborn asked quietly as he stared at Tsuru who looked far too calm for someone who was now being examined like a lab subject. Well, she was, but it was all so long ago and she shouldn't have been this calm-wasn't there trauma that people usually went through? Or maybe she was just someone with a heart so big she forgave everyone? How is that even possible?

"Eyes and ears," Tsuru replied instead of Verde. Her throat let out a soft purr when Verde massaged her fingers. It wasn't actually massaging, he was trying to feel the joints in her fingers, but the sensation of that movement for Tsuru was the equivalent of getting her palm massaged, especially when her fingers were sensitive like that. It felt amazing.

"Ears?" Fon raised one of his eyebrows, moving behind the couch to tap on one of Tsuru's ear lobes.

"These ears?" Tsuru nodded slightly, her eyes travelling over her Chinese companion that was now practically towering over her with concern written all over his face. Tsuru giggled.

"Oh come on, it's okay now! It doesn't hurt as much as before. Nowadays it's just a mild discomfort, especially if I sleep on one side for far too long." She smiled gently, "It feels like the ears are pushing into my brain, but that's probably just my imagination..." She shrugged her shoulders as much as was possible without jostling the focused scientist.

"Okay. Turn on your eyes." Verde ordered, and Tsuru nodded as she closed her eyes. When she reopened them, the bright orbs turning from a rich caramel to an astonishing sunset, and all of the others present (except for Verde because he already knew) realized why her eyes turned orange.

"It's not from your flame?" Reborn asked, curiosity evident.

Tsuru smiled in response.

"It is from her flame." Verde replied, moving closer to Tsuru's face to study her eyes better. "If her flame were...let's say, mist, then her eyes would be turning into an indigo shade," Tsuru felt a pang in her chest when she heard the words mist and indigo, but said nothing, "and because her flames are Sky flames, they are orange." His lithe fingers gently tapped the bottom of her eyes, smiling when he found that no bumps were to be discovered underneath his fingertips.

"On the first day of our meeting..." Fon murmured, his calloused fingers unconsciously still playing with her earlobes-their texture was strange, "Your eyes turned into orange. What in the world did you do?" He asked, glancing at Tsuru who couldn't even move because of Verde's hands that were on her chin forcing her to stay still.

"It was my subconscious. Whenever I'm overwhelmed by my emotions, it just...happens." Tsuru lamely explained. She let out a sigh afterwards, before shrugging her shoulders again (she had been doing that a lot ever since she arrived in the cottage) and letting her lips pucker up into a pout. "But I can't really see too much, because your numbers go through the roof, it's like crazy bananas." Tsuru joked, her lips curling up into a smile.

"What." Mammon deadpanned, and this in turn made Tsuru laugh.

"What do you mean by numbers?" Reborn asked, now sitting on the couch next to her. Tsuru hummed as if contemplating how to answer his question, before her eyes twinkled in amusement.

"Well, it's like this. I can see your measurements right now. Numbers. And the temperature of your body. The darker it looks, the hotter the area is currently." Tsuru broke out into a grin.

Fon chuckled, his thumb moving from her earlobe to the back of her neck, where he just slowly caressed the nape with his thumb. Tsuru let out a pleased sigh, and Fon couldn't help but enjoy the relaxed slouch her body collapsed into.

"When I say the hotter it is, the darker the color becomes. When you guys returned from your mission to destroy _that_ place," Saying the name has never been a comfortable thing for her to do, so she avoided saying their name as much as possible, "I knew where you guys got bruises. I could see where the thrombocytes were rushing to clot, causing the temperatures in those areas to increase from the blood and... yeah." Tsuru smiled, as if it was nothing special.

"We're sorry," Fon sighed. Reborn chose to move his attention to her fingers, playing with each digit. Mammon averted her eyes, and Verde didn't say anything.

"It's alright. It really is. You guys have nothing to apologize for, after all, it wasn't your fault this happened to me." Tsuru said, her eyes brightening. Verde chuckled as he tapped her temple gently, a sign that the only the two of them knew which they had created for fun during one of the many examinations he used to perform. Tsuru nodded slightly as she closed her eyes, and when she opened her eyelids once again her caramel eyes had replaced the formerly bright orange.

"I should check on your ears now. Fon, would you mind moving?" At Verde's request, Fon nodded as he glided soundlessly to stand in front of the girl, watching her lips turns into a softer smile. Verde moved to Fon's former position, and with a tap on the back of her ears, she turned on her sensitive hearing and let Verde observe how they were performing.

"It looks so surreal." Fon commented as he finally took a good look at her fingers. There was no blotched skin like in movies, everything looked perfect, down to the slight movements from her joints as she clenched her fist. Reborn chuckled as he lifted her hand close to his lips, before he kissed each digit softly, not even commenting on how red the girl was now.

"W-wait, wha-what are you doing?!" Tsuru screeched, her cheeks as red as tomatoes. Fon smiled in amusement at how adorable the girl now looked, and Reborn could only smirk when he got the reaction he wanted. Tsuru who finally realized that she was being played huffed in annoyance, before she averted her eyes in embarrassment.

"Tsuru, is it still uncomfortable here? I know it took you longer to adjust to your ears then your eyes and your fingers..." Verde trailed off. Tsuru giggled after she recovered from her moment of shyness.

"It's already as good as it can be. It feels uncomfortable, I'll give you that, but of course it will. My ears were torn apart before they were replaced by machines and it hurts." The girl sighed, "But it's okay. It's as comfortable as it can be."

Fon leaned forward to kiss the girl on her forehead, surprising her as well as the others. "It's alright if it's still uncomfortable. I was cut open during an operation when I first started this job of mine, and it was uncomfortable for me to touch the scar post-surgery, even now it still is." He smiled at her, warm.

"So the reason why you can't hold a weapon is that your fingers are way too sensitive?" Reborn asked, as he let his fingers run over the tips of her's. Tsuru smiled nervously as she scratched her cheek.

"Sort of? The feel of a weapon in my fingers is uncomfortable, and it reminds me a bit too much of that place, so yes in a way, I suppose." She said.

"But you can actually use weapons, right?" Fon asked, and Tsuru nodded once again.

"I can, but when a gun recoil it just feels...weird." She tilted her head, and then she hummed in thought, "Yeah, weird is the best way to describe it."

"So you can only be support?" Mammon, who had stayed silent until now, asked.

Tsuru nodded, smiling softly as if remembering her past, "Yes. Nothing but support." Reborn hummed in affirmation at her answer, his brain beginning to make a new plan for them that included the girl beside him so that at least, she could join in a mission once in a while.

It could be fun.

But of course, a little self-defense lesson first wouldn't hurt.

* * *

"Tsuru." Reborn called as he emerged from the hallway that led to their bedrooms. Tsuna tilted her head in reply, her fingers which were gently stroking Mammon's head stilling. She glanced at the man, a sign that she was listening to him. Reborn let a smirk appear on his face, and he silently enjoyed how a shiver ran down her spine when she realized that whatever Reborn had planned, something was bound to go wrong.

"Yes...?" Tsuru asked carefully, dragging out the 'e' unconsciously.

"What do you think of visiting CEDEF headquarters?" He asked as he crossed his arms. Tsuru blinked slowly, her eyes widening slightly at the invitation.

"Wait, me?" She asked as she pointed at herself dumbly.

"No, I'm talking to the wall. Of course you." Reborn rolled his eyes, and Tsuru could only let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh, that's a great idea! Both me and Lal can show you around while Reborn reports to the head!" Colonello exclaimed, as he emerged from his room, his blue eyes sparkling at the prospect of showing Tsuru around. Maybe he should plan it out? They should start from the training grounds to the CEDEF building… Well, the two of them did have clearance to go there and leave as often as they liked, so this was a great idea!

"Uh, okay?" Tsuru blinked in confusion, before she shrugged her shoulders. It didn't sound like a bad idea, but there was one problem. "What if the head of the CEDEF recognizes me? Isn't that going to be an issue? I don't want to see him...again…" Her voice trailed off, eyes distant.

Reborn, however, didn't look concerned at all. If anything, the smirk on his face grew _wider. _"That's why we'll drag Mammon along," Said illusionist lifted her head from Tsuru's lap, turning to glare at the hitman, "and make her hide you beneath her illusions. Maybe make Tsuru look like a boy? Who knows." His smirk reminded them of a predator, "But it will be fun." But his smirk was anything but _fun. _

Maybe fun for _him, _but not for _them. _For _them _it meant _Chaos._

"...There has to be a catch." Tsuru stated, her fingers buried between the silky strands of Mammon's hair. The illusionist sighed softly-or was that a purr?-before she laid her head in Tsuru's lap once more, letting the girl continue her petting.

"There's no catch, I swear." Reborn shrugged, "I need to report something to HQ. Colonello and Lal could show you and Mammon around…" Colonello looked positively ecstatic, and Lal hid her eyes, her body language trying to display indifference, but the light tug on her lips destroyed the whole I-don't-care-if-you're-coming-along-or-not thing she was trying to do.

"..." Tsuru narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Really? Nothing? I can't believe that, especially coming from you, Reborn." The girl said without tripping or stuttering. The hitman raised his eyebrow, suddenly his onyx orbs filled with amusement.

"Now you suddenly have the courage to talk back? I'm impressed." The man said, voice thick with mockery.

"Why you-" A vein popped out on her forehead, and before she could actually launch herself at the smug hitman, Colonello patted the top of her head gently, smiling as he did so.

Tsuru huffed, her lips puckered into a pout.

"Mou, Nello-_nii, _I thought you were on my side." The brunette whined, causing the azure eyed man to chuckle softly at how childish she was acting.

"I am on your side. I was thinking about Mammon, after all if you suddenly moved she would fall." He said easily, eyes glancing at the resting illusionist.

Suddenly Tsuru felt guilty. "Oh gosh, I'm sorry-"

"No worries, it's okay." Mammon replied easily. She, however, turned her gaze to Reborn again just to glare at him because _man, _if Colonello wasn't there, the girl probably would have accidentally shoved her and then her head would have hit the edge of the table and-yeah, that didn't seems very comfortable.

"Ugh, fine," Tsuru groaned in annoyance.

"I'll go to CEDEF with you guys." She huffed, arms crossing, as if she was trying to show that she was angry with them but as her lips formed a smile, the effect was lost. "I wanted to visit anyway. I wanted to know what kind of place Iemitsu-_san_ worked at." She said wistfully, oblivious to the looks the others were giving.

Colonello slid away from Tsuru's side to Reborn's, his eyes not straying far from Tsuru who looked like she was remembering something from her past.

"Do you think it's a good idea?" The blonde whispered, concern thick in his voice.

"It would give her closure, at the very least." Reborn replied, voice barely a whisper. Colonello sighed softly, before he nodded in agreement.

"Yeah… maybe…"

* * *

"So this is CEDEF Headquarters?" Tsuru mused, her eyes on the huge, building in front of her _that looked exactly like the twenty other skyscrapers they had just passed_. Whoever designed the building probably thought that camouflage was important which was why the building looked like the others, but at the same time _not. _She whistled at the size, though, because man, it was big! She imagined there were at least 5 floors inside of it.

"Yes. Iemitsu isn't here with Nana usually," all respect that Colonello had for his superior and his wife crumbled the moment Tsuru told them the basic outline of her past. He didn't know why, but it _did, _and he couldn't even find it in himself to question the reason it had, "But since Reborn was scheduled to come here today those two will be present." The blonde sighed as he grabbed Tsuru's hand, tangling her fingers with his, "But I will-I mean we will protect you. So don't cry, okay?" He whispered.

She touched her cheek lightly and then frowned as she felt liquid. Tsuru rubbed the tears away, before huffing in annoyance. "Sorry. I don't know what happened." She whispered, shame clouding her voice.

Mammon laughed softly, choosing to nudge the younger girl's shoulder with hers, "It's not like they'll know it's you or anything. Do you want to see how you look right now?" The illusionist asked, taking out a mirror from her pocket. Tsuru's eyes brightened at that, reaching for the mirror without saying anything.

The reflection of a boy staring back at her made Tsuru feel giddy. His brown hair was a shade darker than hers, and his hair actually defied gravity. Well, while her's looks like a bed head (even on good day!) his hair looked like he was zapped by a lightning bolt or something. His caramel orbs showed curiosity, a perfect mirror of hers, and he looked so much like her, but not at the same time.

"Oh wow, is what I would look like as a boy?" Tsuru exclaimed in wonder, cheeks reddening slightly at the thought. Both Reborn and Lal peeked over Tsuru's shoulder, and the midnight haired woman nodded in satisfaction.

"As I thought, you look so much like Primo it's scary. Especially in your male version," Lal said, brushing Tsuru's hair gently, "Why don't you turn on your vision for a moment?"

Tsuru stared at her in confusion, before she let her eyes turn to orange. Lal smirked and then she gazed at Mammon who got what she wanted, and the reflection on the mirror distorted a bit, and instead of brown, her hair turned blonde. Reborn narrowed his eyes slightly and Colonello whistled, impressed.

"There you go. You look like Primo now." Lal said, a small smile appearing on her lips. Tsuru's eyes widened slightly as she self consciously stared at her own reflection in the mirror, shaking her head as she closed her eyes and the caramel shade returned to her orbs.

"That's nice. I'm glad I'm not taking Iemitsu-_san_'s genes in regards to hair color. What a mess it would've been if people kept on mistaking me for Vongola Primo." Tsuru giggled.

She went silent after that, choosing to stare at the building. "If I was a male and there was no heir but me, does that mean that I would've been Vongola _Decimo_?" She mused, smiling slightly.

"Yes." Reborn stated, firmly. "And I would've most likely been your tutor." He smirked, imagining the possibilities of tutoring Tsuru. And by the squeak that left her lips, he knews that she also was thinking of the same thing.

"Oh well, I need to report to Iemitsu now." Reborn stuffed his hands in his pockets, lips curled in disgust, "I'm so not looking forward to his rants about his beloved Nana." He huffed, the brim of his fedora covering his eyes even more, "I'm going first. Bye." And with that, he left the four to think about what to do next.

"Why don't we check out the training grounds? Let's see what the other fuckers have been doing while I've been gone." Lal suggested with a devilish smirk on her lips. Colonello shuddered as he took a step back, his blue eyes staying on Lal's figure as uncertainty filled his azure depths. "I pity the others…" The man whispered, shuddering once again.

"Calm down, Nello-_nii. _It's going to be okay! Now let's go, I want to see what Lal's going to do!" Tsuru chirped in excitement. Colonello and Mammon stared at her in confusion, before fear settled into their eyes. Oh no. This seems like such a bad idea now.

* * *

"YO! The hell you faggots doing laying around like that?! You think because I'm not around you can fucking stop doing your training?!"

"OH SHIT, IT'S LAL! LAL IS HERE!"

"NO SHIT SHERLOCK."

"Lal, punishment."

"Wait, who the fuck are y-"

"Good idea, Shi. Punishment for all of you."

"Wait, who is Shi-"

"I pity you guys."

"COLONELLO HELP U-"

"Punishment~!"

"Oh wow, that looked brutal."

Colonello winced, "It _is_ painful."

"I see."

"Pft. Let's try that method on Skull."

"Aw, don't do it on Skull!" Cue pouting.

"Ugh. Fine."

* * *

"That was fun." Tsuru giggled, her features brightening up like a lamp. Lal chuckled, ruffling the brunette's fluffy crown.

"You found that amusing? Why don't you watch when I punish Colonello sometime?" The bluenette asked, her brown orbs turning to Colonello who paled at the thought.

Tsuru laughed, shaking her head gently, "No thanks, I'm not that much of a sadist." She said, her lips curling up into a smile. "But, maybe once in a while would be fine..." Her eyes turned to Colonello as well, and he looked like all the blood had left his body and left him so pale, he could've been mistaken for a ghost.

"I'm joking." The Listener laughed as she hugged Colonello's arm tightly, leaning her head on Colonello's upper arm. The man chuckled softly as color returned to his skin, which was still slightly pale from the fear that had seized him, letting the girl do whatever she wanted.

"By the way, Lal, was it my imagination or did you call me Shi earlier?" Tsuru asked as she blinked and tilted her head slightly to look at the more tan woman's face. Lal scratched her cheek for a moment, her eyes avoiding Tsuru's stare.

"Well. I did. What, you don't like it?" Lal gruffly asked. Tsuru giggled, shaking her head lightly in reply.

"No, I was just surprise, I like it, though..." She trailed off when she heard footsteps approaching.

"Oh! Lal and Colonello! What a coincidence to see you here!" A distantly familiar voice greeted the quartet, the sound so damn happy and Colonello would've replied with an equal (or more) fervor but when he opened his mouth, his eyes turned to Tsuru who held his arm in a death grip.

A familiar voice..

"How rude, not replying to an elder's greeting." The voice chided, and Lal turned slightly to see Nana Sawada, standing there in fancy clothes and expensive perfume. Her eyes narrowed for a moment, before her gaze moved from Nana's figure to Tsuru's, noting the way her face was paling even when her back was facing the older woman.

"I've never see you two around before. Are you Colonello and Lal's friends?" And Nana stood behind Mammon who looked mildly uncomfortable by how close the older woman was. Tsuru stiffened slightly, and with a soft pat from Colonello she managed to relax, but her stance was still careful, ready to flee whenever needed.

"Yes, they are my colleagues from another group." Colonello replied, his hand still patting the Tsuru's head. He turned to smile at the older woman, obviously trying to direct her attention at anything other than Tsuru. "I'm sorry, my friend here is a bit afraid of strangers." He said easily, lying through his teeth.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry! I didn't know-" Nana spluttered, eyes wide with surprise. Tsuru chuckled softly (she noted how low her voice was, was this part of the illusion too?) and she released her death grip on Colonello's arm to bow in front of the older woman, low and deep.

"Shi-"

"Oh my, what is this?" Nana blinked in confusion. Tsuru chuckled again, weaker this time, before she shook her head, not saying a thing after that. She straightened her back, before she returned to Colonello's side, shoulders shaking almost unnoticeably.

"_Signore _Nana_, _have you ever had a child?" Mammon asked, her purple eyes boring into Nana's chocolate orbs from beneath her hood.

Nana blinked in confusion, before she pointed to herself as she dumbly asked, "Me?" and Mammon held in the urge to punch the lady.

"Yes, you."

"I…" Nana felt like something was stuck in her throat. Her eyes desperately tried to avoid the mauve-tattooed girl's gaze which seemed to be staring deep into her soul. Answer honestly or lie, the choices were only between those two but it was hard. Nana knew that lying was a very, very bad choice, but answering the question truthfully meant that she acknowledged _that thing _as her own.

And she wouldn't. Not in a million years.

"I haven't." The older woman stated, her amber depths staring back at the robe wearing girl who suddenly looked startled. Not only her, even Lal and Colonello looked surprised, and the boy within Colonello's arms flinched suddenly. Nana narrowed her gaze, suspicious.

"I don't have a son at this moment, so no, I'm not a parent." She said, lips tugging down with a frown marring her pretty face.

"...Son…?" Lal gaped. Colonello's blue eyes turned a shade darker than usual, resembling the sky before a downpour.

"No, we're not talking about a _son_ here, we're talking about a _daughter_. And no, don't give me that bullshit about you not having one, because I know that Iemitsu sometimes has this look of nostalgia while he's staring at _something. _I know something is up, why don't you tell us, Lady Sawada?" The boy gasped in surprise, his head tilted upward to see the anger within Colonello's eyes.

"Oh, dear." Nana sighed as she crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised and one turned downward, all with a pout on her lips. Instead of giving her a cute look, it made her look like a manipulator-perhaps she was, who knows? The innocence within her eyes disappeared with a blink, and now instead of Sawada Nana, the loving wife of Sawada Iemitsu, there stood an entity that only shared her name.

"I did have a daughter." She mused, resting her weight on her right leg, "I did have a daughter but I threw her away. I said to Iemitsu, complete with tears and everything that she was taken by some evil scientists, and it took me..what, three months?... to make him forget about the search and trap him with a kiss." Nana winked, her lips curled into a smirk.

"I was looking for you guys." A new voice joined their little half circle, surprising nearly all of them. Everyone but Tsuru who tilted her head slightly to see whose voice it was. She heard footsteps approaching while Nana was saying things that she could not comprehend, and when she found out that it was Reborn, glaring at Nana, her face brightened up, even if only slightly.

"I'm back. Now let's go home." Reborn said. The others nodded in agreement, not willing to put their sky in anymore emotional trauma. Colonello carried Tsuru piggyback, much to her displeasure, but Colonello didn't even give her a chance to argue. He kept silent and a few moments later, he could feel her arms around his neck loosen and the strands of her hair falling against his cheek. She was exhausted.

"Nana." Reborn called out when he knew that Tsuru could not hear. "I don't know what your reason to do something like that is, but let me say this." A blood-thirsty smirk appeared on his handsome features, Leon turning into a gun and he pointed the muzzle in Nana's direction, pleased when Nana realized that he was not playing around. "If you harm her again, I will kill you."

"The daughter that you threw away has become someone special to us, the seven strongest people in the world, and she has the power to command us. And you know what the best part of the deal is?" Mammon spoke up, finally having enough of staying silent.

No answer.

Well, they already expected that she wouldn't reply.

"We won't mind." Lal scratched her cheek, averting her eyes.

"...No, in fact, _we will be gladly follow her orders, even._" Reborn smirked, his gaze promising pain and suffering like no other.

"So be careful." Mammon murmurs.

"Because you could suffer the same tragedy that had befallen the Neo-Estraneo, probably even worse…"

"And we don't want that, do we?"

Nana felt like she had just made a very, very grave error.

* * *

"Don't cry, we're almost home, alright?" Colonello's soothing voice filled her ears, and she nodded slightly as the rocking motion of being carried made her sleepy. She buried her nose in the crook of Colonello's neck, a small smile appearing on her lips.

Home.

She liked the sound of that.

"Home…"

* * *

**A/N : **And with this chapter, I am very sorry to say that I will take a semi-hiatus...or at least, the next chapter will come very, very late. Probably more late than the last chapter, even. I love you guys to death, and I will NEVER abandon this story. I promise with my life. I got the ending written out, and good lord do I want to see your reaction to it. So no, no abandoning. Just very late.

Reason is I'm busy with real life. Very busy. I will spare you from the ranting.

I will try to at least post the next chapter around May, or maybe earlier, I can't really promise y'all.

**Replies for anon reviews; **

**Crucifix HiME**; Drama is easy to write, though XD Hehe, and then I'm gone :C

**Gawd**; I might can insert him _somewhere…_ Well, complete with the kidnapping or something XD

**Wonderland alice**; Hmm… Well, I can't really answer your question, but I hope that this chapter is kind of answer your question? I'm not really sure, though. Since the confrontation is between Nana and the others, not with Iemitsu. Hehe. C:

**BloodyClownz13**; Yay, I'm glad!

...Okay, that happen. So yes!

Ciao!

**Extra Note** from Beta-Reader (Evanescentfacade): Okay, so I was hoping you guys could do me a favor by reviewing any ideas you have for the story, like things you think might happen, or things you really want to see happen that we could possibly put into extras for the story! Thank you very much! *bows*

Another **Extra Note **from writer (Reioth) : Who knows, if you guys gave me great ideas, I might be able to finish the next chapter faster ;)


	11. Mundane days part 2

**A/N **: Hi…? I'm bringing back an update! I know it's been a month and I'm sorry but work is a bitch. Thank you for being so patient with me, and also thank you for 100 reviews! Wow, you guys rock. I love you guys so much, no homo.

Probably slightly homo.

Thank you so much for the faves and the follows as well, I never knew my story would be THIS popular. Uguh. If you saw me right now, I'm blushing red. Also, shout out to my beta reader **evanescentfacade** who was being such a dear. Oh, also, shout out to the person who asked Xanxus and someone flirting with Tsu while the others are around! :D

**Warning : **Curses, out-of-character (ESPECIALLY **XANXUS** because i kind of imagine him to be a dork in front of the person he actually likes so), ships (there's a little girlgirl action here, and then there's F27, also X27...what else…) and bad jokes.

More rants and replies on the bottom! *hearts*

Now, enjoy the story~

* * *

Tsuru was running an errand.

She was disguised as a boy-courtesy of Reborn, the master of cosplay-like that time she had visited Vongola. No, she didn't hate her identity as Tsuru, she just didn't want to be surrounded by people who wanted to talk to her. She also wanted to leave and return to the cottage as fast as possible because it was _hot. _

Right. Because it was summer finally.

She sighed, before pouting in annoyance. Why did the other Arcobaleno have to be so lazy on a day like this? She knew they could get up and buy whatever they needed but _no, _they had to ask-more like _demand!_-for her to go to Italy and pick up their stuff.

(Who the hell needs a freaking _doll?! _Oh, that's right. _VERDE._)

So she quickened her pace, going as fast as she could without outright running and-

She hit a wall.

No, wait, scratch that. Not a wall. No wall was this warm. This was a human-like warm. Wait, was this someone's chest? Did she hit someone?! Oh god, she hit someone! Oh god oh god oh god-

She lifted her head, to find a _very_ scary face staring back at her.

Oh god. She just didn't hit a person, she hit a mafioso who looked so freaking scary she wanted to cry and return to the cottage. She wished she had never left to do everyone else's errands so she wouldn't have had to meet this person! But of course, a sense of responsibility controlled her and with a heavy sigh inwardly, she knew that she had to continue on her errand.

"I-I'm so sorry!" She stammered, before she bowed repeatedly in front of the man. He didn't say anything, and taking that as a cue to leave, she immediately ran away.

Or tried to.

Yep, she couldn't run away. There was a hand grabbing her wrist.

She turned. The hand belonged to the man she had bumped into, who now looked like he was lost in thought about something. Maybe how to punish her?! Oh god, please not how to punish her! But now, she was wondering which _famiglia _he belonged to. If it was a big _famiglia, _she could safely said bye bye to her freedom.

"Hey, you." The gruff voice said, and she lifted her gaze to meet his crimson eyes. She watched him clear his throat, before a soft blush appeared on his cheeks.

Hold up, what-

"Do you have a Band-Aid? Because I just scraped my knees falling for you." He said, his voice slightly lower.

Tsuru paled slightly because, what the hell was going on?! "U-um, what-" The brown haired girl-who was dressed as a boy-asked, so very confused.

Xanxus feel butterflies inside his stomach. This boy, within his grasp, was so beautiful he could be a girl. Well, he wouldn't be opposed to some crossdressing, he could already picture the boy wearing a maid outfit, acting all shy and beautiful and-

Okay. Hold that thought. Xanxus was pretty sure that damned shark was already poisoning his mind. But first, he should make the boy fall for him. Or a least seduce him into his bed. It would be awkward if he just suddenly asked the boy to come to his bed, so flirting should be the way to go.

He didn't have that much experience flirting with boys-he usually flirted with girls-but he supposed that a few classic pick up lines shouldn't hurt, right? So, raking his mind, he found another one.

"Are you a banana? Because I find you a-peeling." He said, suddenly confident. Well, girls liked it when he acted like he owned the world. But from the sudden paling of the boy's face, he guessed he didn't like it?

Or maybe the pick up line wasn't good enough.

Huh. He needed to step it up.

"Kiss me if I'm wrong, but don't dinosaurs still exist?" He said, smirking arrogantly at the boy. Oh no, he became even paler. Oh god, seriously, was it because of him or was it because of the pick up lines?! But the pick up lines were _perfect. _So it must be him. What was it? His face? Was it-

More pick up lines! Maybe throw in something about his smile? Girls like it when a guy compliments how she smiles. Maybe it'd work…

"Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile." He tried with a smile of his own-which looked more like a grimace than a smile-but the boy immediately averted his eyes. His smile immediately fell, and he sighed.

Okay, last weapon.

"You're so beautiful that you made me forget my pick up lines." Xanxus murmured. An expression of relief appeared on the boy's face. Xanxus' smile was back up immediately and he was ready to throw out more pick up lines, but then the boy bowed to him.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm taken!" The boy stammered out, before he rushed past Xanxus. Xanxus reached out to catch his hand again, but the boy was way too fast. Xanxus scratched the back of his head, before he sighed heavily.

"Oi, Xanxus. The hell you doing here?" Squalo. Xanxus groaned.

"Trash. Your advice sucks!"

"Wait, what the fuck?!"

Slightly farther away from Xanxus and Squalo, the Arcobaleno had watched the show. They all carried a different expression on their faces, the most prominent ones being anger (on Reborn's) and amusement (on Fon's). The chinese man had trapped Reborn in a hold to keep the hitman from rushing over and give Xanxus a piece of his mind. Violently. When the raven haired male finally gave up trying to escape the martial artist, he settled on glaring at the Varia leader's back, (slightly) content with torturing the man _over and over again _in his mind.

"A-peeling-pftt-" Colonello couldn't hold back his laughter. Well, their position was hidden, but it was still close enough to hear the _wonderful _pick up lines that the man was throwing. They were _priceless. _And wonderful blackmail material, of course.

"I know you're there. You idiots, why didn't you save me earlier, dang it?!" Tsuru yelled. Their heads turned to Tsuru's direction, whose cheeks were now so red they could've been compared to a tomato. The six of them began to snicker at the flustered expression on Tsuru's face, before they all emerged from their hiding spot. Tsuru grumbled, before she threw herself into the nearest person's arms, which happened to be Mammon.

"Viper, Viper! Save me from that man, his face was so scary oh my god-" Tsuru blabbered.

Mammon laughed at Tsuru, before she held Tsuru closer. "It's OK, it's OK. I'm here, I'm here." The illusionist said with a smile on her face. "Although…." A mischievous smile replaced the gentle smile on her lips, and Tsuru knew she wouldn't like what Mammon said next at all.

"Your lips look so lonely… Would they like to meet mine?" Mammon giggled, and the others could only laugh loudly as Tsuru groaned, her cheeks becoming even redder.

Xanxus turned to see what was causing the commotion behind him, and his eyes widened. The boy of his dreams, was wrapped in a woman's embrace, looking oh so intimate and so lively, along with five other people crowding around them both and looking at him with fond gazes.

Xanxus sighed heavily again. Turned out he never stood a chance. The boy already had more than ONE lover. No wonder he looked so pale.

"Trash, let's drink."

"But you drink all the time already, Boss."

* * *

"Tsu." Reborn called out, poking the younger's cheek. Tsuru let out a grunt in annoyance, before she opened her eyes slowly. Her amber-shaded eyes slid to Reborn's towering figure, a yawn escaping her lips. She was feeling rather tired this morning, just because she wanted to finish a book that was probably a bit too thick. But once she started reading the actual story in the book, she couldn't _stop. _The story was amazing, and she spent all night reading It. That was the reason why she was asleep on the couch, instead of in her own room.

"Get up. We're going on a mission and we're going to need your help." Reborn gruffly said, his words immediately capturing her attention.

"Wait, I thought I would be useless in a fight?" Tsuru asked as she rubbed the sleep away from her eyes.

Reborn scoffed. "You are. But you will be amazing in battle. Be ready in five and go to the dining room." And with those words, Reborn turned around and left Tsuru.

Tsuru tilted her head in confusion, but then she just shrugged her shoulders in resignation. "Oh well." She mumbled, before she went to her room to prepare for the so-called mission. Another yawn escaped her lips, and she scratched her head with an irritated expression. Why would he be waking her this early anyway? And why now? It was usually the day before the mission, right? Why so early? Is the mission even today?

Whatever.

"For this mission, Tsuru will be joining us." Reborn said, gesturing to the girl across from him. Tsuru waved with a small grin on her face. Colonello glanced at Tsuru, before a very worried expression appeared on his face.

"Are you sure? It's not like I doubt her abilities or anything, but I don't want her to get hurt…" The blond trailed off, his azure eyes staying on Reborn's onyx orbs.

"I trust her not to do idiotic things on the mission." Reborn replied easily, before he fixed a glare on the flinching Skull. The said man immediately cowered in the corner of the room, and Tsuru could only laugh nervously.

"This mission is just like usual, destroying a _famiglia._" It was hard to miss the rising bloodlust in the room. Tsuru shivered slightly at the thought of _these _people against her. She really hoped that a time where she is on the opposing side to them would never come.

"But after listening to rumors on the street," Tsuru could only wonder when Reborn had had the time to listen to rumors and a whisper of _that's supposed to be my job_ passed through her mind but she stomped the thought down immediately, "This _famiglia _specializes in machinery and non-human artillery. We have no way to estimate the amount of firepower this _famiglia _has, so I decided to bring Tsuru with us. Her enhanced vision, hearing and senses along with her intuition should be useful." Reborn smirked at Tsuru who nodded.

"But Reborn, Shi isn't exactly built for fighting." Lal protested. "If she's going to be the scout, doesn't that mean she has to be on the front lines?" The ochre eyed lady asked, her lips turned downward at the thought of Tsuru on the front lines, not having any knowledge of what to do in case of emergency.

"That's why I'm assigning both you and Mammon as her guards." Reborn said. Tsuru glanced at both Mammon and Lal, clear confusion in her gaze. As he had expected. "Mammon will hide your presence. But if things goes south, Lal will protect you both, since you'll be in the middle of the battle instead of on the sidelines."

As he said the last sentence, his eyes moved from Tsuru to Mammon who nodded in agreement. Well, she did have her mist flames to protect her, but illusions would be practically useless against machines. So, assigning Lal to protect the two of them made sense.

"Verde will go to the main control room for obvious reasons," Verde nodded easily, already planning what to use to destroy the controls. Would hacking be enough? Should he plant explosives? How big will the main control room be?

"Skull will become the bait." Of course he was the bait. His part in the mission was always the bait. Looking at how 'invincible' he supposedly was, he wasn't really surprised that he became the distraction. But when Tsuru flashed a proud smile his way, he supposed that this time, being the bait was the coolest thing _ever. _

"Colonello and Fon will destroy the main resources." Both Colonello and Fon understood what he meant by resources. It meant kill the people inside the building, and the two of them nodded. The machines would be dangerous, but if there weren't any people to operate the machines, they would become useless. Or at least, they hoped that people were actually operating the machines.

"And I will be confronting the Don." They all agreed with this, since the title of the World's Greatest Hitman was something Reborn earned because Reborn was _strong, _and the boss was probably the hardest target to get to compared to the others' jobs. Reborn let his gaze wander towards his comrades, and smirked-a dark smirk that promised pain and blood.

"Meeting adjourned. We will be heading out this afternoon. Oh, and Tsu? Bring your kit." Tsuru nodded. She figured that she would be acting as medic this time. Oh, well. She hoped that her first aid kit-which was better than nothing-wasn't going to slow her down…

"So us three huh?" Lal asked, walking towards Tsuru who gave a half smile.

"Why am I not even surprised?" Mammon added, joining the two girls. Tsuru shrugged, but her face did brighten up at the thought of joining her female colleagues on the battlefield.

"It's going to be awesome." The brunette breathed out, earning a smile of amusement from her companions.

"It's kind of like girls versus boys." Lal commented with a smirk.

Mammon glanced at the youngest of the three of them, her lips pursed, "But are you going to be okay? This is your first mission with us after all…" She trailed off.

Tsuru nodded, a grin appearing on her face. "It's OK! I mean, I finally feel like I'm not a burden to you guys. I hope with this, I can prove to the others that I'm useful in battle!" Tsuru's eyes reflected the determination that was burning in her heart.

"Now, why don't we prepare for the battle, hm?" The cobalt haired lady asked, and she was replied to with a nods.

"_Sky, Rain One and Mist are ready to go._" Tsuru, now looking like a boy once again under an illusion, murmured softly. A soft buzzing replied to her status update, and with a nod to the other ladies, they all entered the building. Tsuru immediately turned on her eyes, ears and fingers, before she pressed her ears to the walls. She could hear the sound of gears turning, soft whirring and a gentle cracking, most likely from the joints of the machines. She located several-probably more than five-machines' location before she whispered into her com.

"_Sky has found toys near the prologue. Requesting from Sun permission to proceed._" Toys for machines, prologue for the front door. They created this little nicknames while they were planning, and they were really cute. They were easy to remember as well-because the prologue is at the front of the story and for the back door, they used the epilogue just _because_-not to mention it was pretty smart, if a bit obvious. Well, it was Reborn and Verde who created the code names, and Tsuru could only imagine how the two who were always fighting suddenly began discussing code names and euphemisms for objects so seriously.

"_Wait for Cloud. They are on their way. Rain Two, status?"_ Reborn replied, his voice low. Tsuru suppressed a small shiver that ran down her spine from the sound of his voice. She shook her head inwardly in denial at the feeling. Why would she even feel like _that_? What was so special about his voice anyway?

"_Entering through the epilogue at the moment. No dolls here." _Colonello's steps were not silent. It looked like he was inspecting the place, locating any enemies, all while acting like he was about to have a picnic instead of infiltrating a _famiglia. _Fon's amused chuckles filled her hearing for a moment, before she let out a gasp in shock.

"_Dolls. Dolls here. Not just toys, dolls are here too, oh my god-_" Tsuru babbled, trying hard not to dissolve into panic.

Mammon entwined their fingers together and held her hand tightly, and Tsuru tried to take a deep breath. "_Relax, Sky. They can't see y-_"

"I know someone's there!" A voice echoed through the empty hallway, and the three of them froze for an instant.

Lal readied her gun. "_We've been found. I don't think making us invisible lessened the possibility of getting caught. I think they can't see us, but they can _feel _us._" She hissed into the communication device, and Skull let out a worried grunt.

"_That would explain why in the epilogue we can't find any dolls." _Fon said, his voice reassuring in an attempt to have Tsuru calm down. The chocolate haired girl wheezed, and Lal moved to her side.

She patted Tsuru on the head lightly before flashing a smile to the girl. "Calm down. We'll be fine. We're not called the strongest in the world for _nothing._" Tsuru nodded, her fists clenching tightly.

"_Explain the current situation._" Verde's voice entered the conversation, and from the sound of loud typing that echoed inside their little headsets it seemed like he had managed to reach the main control room. And when Tsuru tried to listen more closely, she could hear a sizzling, like something was melting. Sweat rolled down her cheek when she realized that _something _that had been manning the place was now slowly dissolving into nothing because Verde threw something acidic at it.

"_It's probably because the dolls knew that we were coming and expected us to come from the prologue, because when we destroyed the Estra- _them _we entered from prologue instead of the epilogue, and that was one of the few publicly known times that we destroyed a famiglia, they concluded that we would use the same tactic on them and installed sensors that allowed them to sense mist flames because we have mist on our side._" Fon reasoned smoothly.

Reborn hummed softly at Fon's theory, before he let out a soft growl of, "_Plan B._"

Plan B, as was explained by Reborn on the way to the building, was to switch to an all-kill mode. Destroy everything, forgo strategy, just _kill. _If things turned even darker, flee from the building and Verde would destroy the place with a bomb. But on the way, Verde had said that he had _forgotten _the bomb in his laboratory, so there's was no other option but to fight. No other way but to kill.

"Shi." Lal poked her cheek, her voice quiet and worried. Tsuru finally unclenched her fists, before her sunset-shaded orbs turned to Lal who began to search for something in her many pockets. When she found what she was looking for, she handed it to Tsuru, which turned out to be a hunting knife along with it's sheath.

"I know it isn't much. But I hope that it's better than nothing. Just contact us if something goes wrong. I know that you're scared of knives, but for the our sake_, _please, use this to protect yourself. You are our home, and if you fall we will also fall bringing the bastards that brought you down with us." She didn't say to kill, but to protect herself. To protect herself for their sakes. To try to survive for them. Tsuru could live with that. She only hoped that after all of this was over, she could sleep at night without any nightmares.

She shut her eyes for a moment, before she opened them and found the knife still in front of her. With great reluctance, she took the knife from Lal's outstretched hand-missing the obvious relief on the general's face-before she nodded. "Okay." She agreed.

"_Rain One. Ready to fly._" Lal whispered into the com, before she signalled for Mammon to remove the invisible veil on her. Mammon nodded, and then Lal was out there, visible, and ready to kill in defense of her sky and for the mission's completion.

"I have to go as well, Tsu." Mammon said, gripping Tsuru's hand tightly. The brown haired girl looked conflicted for a moment, but then she took a deep breath and nodded. There was no way she would beg for the other to stay, because that would be selfish and could mean the end of their lives. She couldn't afford to be selfish, not now. She could later be selfish enough to baby them, but not now.

"I will move out as well then." Tsuru mumbled, before her eyes turned tangerine. With another deep breath, she hugged Mammon for a moment before her figure became visible as well. Her ears and senses were more sensitive than before, the vibrations from the machine stomping around and the footstep-no, scratch that, _footsteps_-of her enemies could be felt beneath her feet. She took off her shoes-_because when her bare feet were touching the ground, she was not only much faster than when she wore her shoes, but more sensitive to vibrations, she knew this from all the training they had given her to kill before she left them behind, burning_-and then she just ran as fast as she could without making any noise at all.

No enemies for now. She took a few deep breaths, before she swallowed her own saliva in other to calm the strong beating of her heart. She could hear ammunition being fired over her line, meaning that the others were engaged in battles, and she could finally feel the vibrations of enemies coming closer, closer and stronger, like a giant approaching her location slowly_. _

She hid herself behind a pillar, and when she could feel someone's breath practically on her neck-_she was glad that her first enemy was a human because humans were easier to dispose of than machines, but she was also so damn upset that her first enemy just had to be a human who had a life that she needed to take and she didn't want to take lives anymore, damn it all_-and silently, she snuck behind the person. Before the person could turn, she jammed the knife into his nape, pushing the knife deeper with both hands, cutting through the windpipe and when the person fell, limp and lifeless she tried to take a deep breath.

She had taken another life today.

She had taken another life today and she was not happy about it, at all.

This person might have been a mafioso, but he probably had a family out there, waiting for him to return, maybe a wife? A child? A mother? A father? A brother?

A choked sob left her lips. She had to be strong. For them, for her comrades that were also fighting to protect themselves she couldn't cry, she promised to herself that she would not be a burden, she knew that today she would be taking at least one life, she knew, and so with a whisper to herself in scolding-_because the others would be so worried if they found her crying like this_-she stood taller, with tears running down her cheeks, her expression turning darker.

She held her knife in one hand now, a gun-that she stole from the corpse _that she had killed_-resting in her other hand ready for action and a constant reminder as to where she got the gun and why she had it. And when she heard another a pair of footsteps, she gulped and sped up as fast as she could. But before she could even slash her knife or shoot her gun, the body fell-_gracefully, oh so gracefully_-and a pair of cerulean eyes met her gaze.

A small smile appeared on her face when Colonello entered her vision. She was so glad that she could _cry (even after she cried earlier and she really needed to stop fricking crying, crying is a weakness in battle). _The blond looked panicked for a moment, eyes trailing left and right, and when he realized she was alone, Colonello immediately understood the situation.

"Alone?" The blue eyed man confirmed, and Tsuru nodded.

"I just made my first kill after _that time, _Nello-nii_. _I'm sorry I'm crying, it just, it just didn't feel good at all." Tsuru whispered softly. Colonello nodded, before he patted the top of her head.

"It's OK. Just think it's either theirs lives or ours, Tsu. I would be worried if you felt good after you attacked them. It would make you the second coming of Reborn then, no?" The blond joked, and Tsuru smiled giggled a little.

"Yeah, no one wants to be the next Reborn, right?" Tsuru said, and then a voice scoffed from their headsets.

"_I heard you talking shit, Sky, Rain Two. Where the hell are you two right now?" _Reborn quipped. He sounded annoyed, irritated, and a little out of breath. Tsuru and Colonello laughed.

"I don't know. I think we're um… on the first floor, near the bathroom?" Tsuru looked around, not actually sure. Every door looked the same to her. She probably had to blame her sense of direction because she usually relief on her intuition so she wouldn't get lost, but now? Every doors was the same, and even her intuition wasn't saying anything at all. She grumbled inwardly.

And then her ears picked something up.

She dragged Colonello down, a bullet passing right by his head, before she whipped her gun up and shot the person hiding in the room that she had guessed to be the bathroom. She didn't't know where she hit him, but the shooter fell immediately, and Tsuru could only take short breaths. The exchange lasted less than thirty seconds. The line went silent along with Colonello who looked shocked, before Verde immediately voiced out his worry.

"_What was that? Are you two okay?" _He asked. Tsuru's lips trembled when she finally realized the sound of breathing had suddenly multiplied, and now a loud cacophony of breathing filled her ears.

And when figures began to appear left and right, she knew that they were trapped. "_S-sky and Rain Two are in a box_." Trapped like they're in a box.

"_Not just dolls. Toys. Lots of toys._" Colonello commented, his lips curving into a grim smile. Tsuru's grip on her gun slackened slightly, but she held on and a giggle left her lips.

"_More toys than dolls._" She confirmed, and then the two of them jumped when they heard a loud curse. Verde.

"_Hold on. This code is so damn long you wouldn't even believe it._" Verde cursed, and the typing turned even louder.

"_Do you need help? I'm near your location._" Fon said, voice slightly breathless.

He was probably running and fighting at the same time, because the sound of gun shooting was loud, and slowly approaching them, and Tsuru murmured a soft, "No."

"_Let us try first. My pencil isn't much, though." _Pencil meant weapon. Why did they decided on pencil, was a mystery that Tsuru didn't want to know the answer to. "_Talk to you later, guys." _And with that, she turned off her line. Colonello mimicked her gesture, before he readies the assault rifle in his grip.

"_Einz, Zwei, Drei!_" at the count of _Drei, _bullets began to rain down upon them, but they dodged most of the bullets. Of course, they didn't really escape the bullet completely, one nestled itself inside her left arm and a stray bullet had nicked Colonello's cheek. But the two of them knew that they couldn't back down, wouldn't back down.

Ignoring the pulsing pain from her arm, Tsuru immediately began closing the gap between her and the enemies with Colonello providing support from behind. Readying her knife, she evaded the split second shot from her enemy before she stabbed her knife deep inside his throat. The man spluttered for a moment, and she ducked behind his body, using it as a shield, as bullets aimed at her once again.

"Be careful, Tsu!" Colonello yelled, and then the sound of gunshots followed his voice. Tsuru smashed her gun to the right hitting the man about to punch her in his genitalia-how did her hand know where to go?-before she cut through one of his arteries as he bent over in pain, she then dived to her left and slashed a woman's ankles. The girl yelped and when she fell, Tsuru raised her knife and the female was down for the count permanently. As the woman's corpse toppled to the right Tsuru picked up her knife and began shooting her gun once more after reloading.

"You never told us this many were surrounding you, idiot!" A voice yelled, and when she turned to see the newcomer, a man shot her in the thigh and she bit her lower lip to keep her from shouting. Another shot was heard, and all of the enemies who were still standing suddenly fell, save for Colonello who was breathing hard.

"If you'd just informed us how much trouble you were in we would've rushed here!" The voice growled, but the pain from the gunshots on her arm and thigh were so painful, the pain starting to blur her senses. She couldn't even really hear what they were saying.

Her eyes turned back to caramel, her ears stop whirring, and her fingers were feeling normal once again, but she still couldn't understand what in the world they were talking about. She caught bits but couldn't piece it together, and the conversation remained unsolvable like that rubix cube she hated so much.

But she did register the warmth on her forehead and the warmth that had enveloped her body, and everything turning _black. _

"She's such an idiot." The first thing she heard after she woke up was the voice of Reborn growling under his breath. She lets out a soft whine, a sound close to a 'noooo' and when her eyes slowly-_finally!_-opened, the sight of six people towering over her entered her vision.

Tsuru blinked, letting her eyes to get used to the dim light of the room, before her eyes flew open in shock. She glanced right and left, starting to understands her situation. "Um… is this the cottage?" She asked, her voice unsure after just waking up.

Skull, who was sitting right next to her head nodded rapidly. "I-it's your room, _nee-chan_," He stuttered, before he burst into tears, "I-I'm so glad you're-_sob_-okay-!"

Tsuru stared at the crying Skull for a moment, before she tried to sit up. Colonello immediately helped her into the position, before she smiled weakly to the blond who nodded back at her. She gently wrapped her arms around Skull who was still weeping, her fingers gently patting the top of his head, silently noting how soft his hair was despite being under a helmet so often.

"Please don't cry, you're going to make me feel guilty." Tsuru mumbled, and she could feel Skull nod slightly and his sobs turn to hiccups.

"Damn right you should feel guilty." Reborn growled, and Tsuru turned her gaze to Reborn who looked downright _livid_. Tsuru flinched at the obvious anger in his voice, and slowly she released her hug with Skull to tremble and fidget, her gaze fixed on her lap.

"What were you thinking?" Reborn asked, ire and disappointment clouding his voice. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks because she wasn't _thinking. _Since she was shot in the arm, she wasn't thinking _at all. _It was all intuition and adrenaline, she ran high with fear and dread and the wish to be safe, to stay at their side and she wasn't thinking of pain, worry, strategy, _nothing_.

"I-I wasn't thinking." She admitted, her voice soft.

"This warrants a punishment. From now on, you're staying _here._ You're not going to go on missions anymore because you're reckless, you don't think, and you're a damn idiot for making us worry!"

Fon let out a gasp, but Tsuru could only nod slightly as tears kept rolling down her cheeks. "I-I understand.." She whispered, her voice quiet.

Reborn let out a scoff, before he turned and left the room. Heavy silence hung above their heads. One by one, they all left the room. Everyone but Fon.

"How are you feeling?" The chinese man asked, his voice soft. He walked slowly towards the bed where Tsuru was still crying her heart out. And gently-as gentle as his rough, _dirty _hands could be-he pulled her into his embrace, pressing her head close to his chest.

"Even if I-I was reckless and being idiotic-the feeling of blood on my hands-I-I took a life-I took a life, Fon-I took a life of another-like them-_sob_-like _them_-!" She gasped out between her sobs, before her voice cracked and tears began to soak his clothes. But he really didn't care, he simply held her closer, closer than ever, letting her cry because her hands were now stained with another's blood. Granted, a mafioso's, but a human's blood nonetheless.

"But you are alive now, that's what's important." Fon assured, his fingers buried in her amber-shaded locks. His chin was now resting on top of her head, he sighed when he felt that her was trembling.

But then she shook her head, jostling him slightly from his position. "But now I'm just-just like _them_-I took another life-for me to stay alive-it shouldn't be this way, it shouldn't _be_ _this way-_" She whispered, so soft he had to strain his ears to hear.

"This is life, Tsu. In this dark, dark world, it's eat or be eaten. We still need you here, _I _still need you here. We can't let you be eaten yet." Fon paused for a moment, "I'm sorry about Reborn's words. This is your first mission with us, and it turned out to be your last."

Tsuru could only laugh hollowly. "What are you saying Fon? I was scared, I should've been thinking with my brain not with my instincts, and I also got Nello-nii hurt as well… It's all my fault, not yours so don't apologize." Her tears slowly stopped, leaving quiet sobs to fill the air. Fon let Tsuru's head rest against his shoulder as her breathing deepened, slowly falling asleep.

And when he was about to move Tsuru so she could lay down and finally have the rest she needed, her hand that was clutching at his clothes stopped him. So with a sigh, he position Tsuru to be more comfortable against his shoulder with his back against the wall. He entwined their fingers together-a hand that had killed, but his hand had too, and far more than hers would ever kill-and slowly, he laid his head on top of Tsuru's.

Today's events finally catching up to him, and slowly, _slowly, _he fell asleep.

**A/N; **Guys. You are too kind. Literally too kind. I don't deserve you guys as my readers oh my god /cries/ on the other note, by the time this chapter is released, I probably already finished whatever making me busy, so expect once-a-week chapter like before. Or at least, I hope it's going to be once-a-week. Hehe.

Proud to say that I released two books in Indonesian. One is fully mine while the other is a collaboration with my friends. And you know what? I won't have even been able to finish the damn thing if it wasn't because of you guys. You're my inspiration and also my energy. I read your reviews when I'm feeling down, and it helps so much. You guys are the best, because 100 reviews, ladies, gentlemen and others! :D

And by the way, I got my first other-than-the-language-i-know review! I can catch happy birthday, but I can only understand Spanish slightly, so. I'm so happy, another milestone is passed now! *jumping around in happiness* \:D/

Replies to anon reviewers!

**KiMaChi ; **An update indeed! It's been a month now, so I hope you'll enjoy this chapter. I promise I will drag original!Tsu more into the story, but at least he appears on this one. :D oh my god, okay. I will write them to be more possessive next time, haha. Soon turns to be a month, so I'm kind of sorry.

**Crucifix HiME** **; **I wonder why you re-read it twice… thanks for reviewing!

**Awww ; **It's not like I hate Nana or something (I actually adored her when I watched the anime the first time), it's just that I need a reason why she was sold and Nana turned out to be the best idea. I could do Iemitsu, actually, but there's already a lot of Iemitsu bashing, so yeap.

**BloodyClownz13 ; **Let's just say….nothing good. Haha. I'm joking. Ask and it shall appear? :3

**kK ; **I feel you, friend. I feel you. *stares longingly at some fics* I feel you indeed…

If after 24th May I didn't update once a week, please blame the handsome sword men who wandered into my life. *stares at Touken Ranbu* I'm still waiting for my Jiji, game.

I'm joking. Rest assured that this fic will be my main priority once again since I don't want to disappoint you guys. (And I still want to see how you react with my ending, although it's still far, far away…)

Now, I ask. **Do you want to see the story from Vongola side as a filler?** No, not CEDEF. If I'm writing CEDEF, then Colonello + Lal are bound to show up and-no. When I say Vongola, then Vongola. So from Nono and Decimo, mostly. Answer on the review or PM, I don't even care. So yeah! :D

Ciao, guys!


	12. Curse

**A/N : A-ahaha. Ahaha. I'm sorry for being late? /hides behind a crate/**

**I-in all seriousness, I'm really sorry. It's not like I wanted it to be late, but eh. Life. Life sucked. But the good thing is, I hope this chapter is to your liking. The next one should be fast, since I already finished writing it and it just need to be checked. Oh, and damn it people! 330+ follows?! 265+ faves?! 110+ reviews?! I could kiss all of you. Or hugs all of you. Oh my god never dreamed that I could reach that point /cry/**

**Now. A special thanks to evanescencefacade who actually very busy, but managed to edit this chapter. Thank. You. So. Much. **

**Also, this chapter is like a collaboration between me and Eva-_san_. Because I write some, and she adds some. So yeah. Hope you you like it. **

**Warning; OOC characters, fluff, angst, basically my writing need its own warning.**

**Without further ado, enjoy. **

* * *

The morning after the mission, Tsuru woke up to a kiss against her forehead. Her eyelids slowly fluttered open, and she found herself gazing up at Fon. The man smiled softly at her, and he pressed another kiss to the top of her head.

"Good morning." The braided haired man greeted, his voice as warm as the morning sun. Tsuru yawned softly as she fought to keep her eyes open. She nodded, before another yawn escaped her parted lips.

"It's already morning. We should get up." Fon said, slowly moving towards the edge of the bed. He raised himself from the bed, offering his hand to Tsuru who was still staring at him, mind clouded with sleep. A chuckle left his lips. His fingers grasped her wrist before he pulled her toward him, earning a squeak from the sleepy girl. She pouted-although the exhaustion was still clear in her eyes-and she finally got up from the bed.

"You should make the breakfast now, Tsu. It's getting late and I don't want our kitchen to be burned to a crisp because of the others." Fon said with a charming smile. Tsuru grumbled.

"But I don't wanna…" She whined like a petulant child, voice unable to hide the fatigue obscuring her senses. Fon chuckled, before he bopped her on the head gently.

"Come on. You're our caretaker, remember?" He teased, eyes twinkling in amusement. Tsuru groaned. She grabbed her cardigan-which he hadn't seen since they arrived at the cottage for the first time-and with hasty steps, she strode towards the kitchen.

Skull was the first one to notice her presence. The purple eyed man smiled brightly when she arrived, and he immediately left his seat to bounce towards her. "Good morning, Tsuru-_nee_!" The supposedly immortal greeted, voice booming throughout the cottage. Tsuru nodded with a sleepy smile on her face, hand reaching to pat the plum locks.

"Good morning…" She mumbled as she patted his head lightly.

Skull's smile grew brighter at the gesture, before he waved at Fon. "Morning, Fon!" He greeted.

Fon smiled and murmured a soft, "Good morning."

"Skull, I'm going to make breakfast… Can you tell the others to get here in fifteen minutes? I'm going to make pancakes." Tsuru mumbled, and another yawn escaped from her lips. Skull nodded, and Tsuru moved as slow as a zombie to the kitchen, only to find Mammon and Lal already waiting for her.

"Good morning Viper, Lal." She greeted as she walked to the refrigerator. She was glad that they still had enough ingredients to make pancakes. She didn't know what else to cook while still half-asleep, and she was positive that she could make pancakes with her eyes closed. Not that she was trying to brag or anything.

"Morning, Shi. Can we help you?" Lal asked. Tsuru immediately shook her head-shivering as a memory popped out in her mind, a memory staring Lal and a disaster in the kitchen, one of the main reasons she'd never let Lal cook again-before she pushed her out of the kitchen.

"Help me with...um...calling the others down. Not in the kitchen. Stay away." She glared at Lal who smiled sheepishly. Mammon also left the kitchen afterwards by her own will-and Tsuru could only sigh in gratitude-before she immediately set out to make the pancakes.

The batter was ready, so it was time to finally heat up the pan. But Tsuru was stuck staring up at the pan hanging above her head. It was too high for her to reach. Who was the idiot who hung it up there when she was the only one who was capable of cooking? She couldn't even ask for help after she kicked all of them out of the kitchen sans for Reborn who hadn't shown up all morning.

She clenched her fists. It seemed that she would have to do it, even if she didn't like it.

Standing on her tippy toes, her arms stretched as far up as they could go towards the pan. Her fingers barely brushed the handle, and slowly, slowly…

"YES!" She let out a cry of victory as she grasped the handle of the pan. But before she could steady herself, she was slipping and her fingers weren't fast enough to grasp the edge of the counter and-

"How are you so clumsy, Dame-Tsuru?" A voice came from behind her, as her back hit something warm. An arm wrapped around her waist to steady her, and she flushed. Tsuru tilted her chin up to stare at the person behind her-as if his voice wasn't a dead giveaway-and her eyes darkened slightly at the sight of Reborn.

"Reborn." Tsuru murmured. Her feet finally landed on solid ground, and with gentle fingers, she removed Reborn's arms from her waist. The hitman simply stared at her as she trembled like a frightened child. "Thank you. Uh, I guess I should return to making, um, breakfast for everyone. Ah, do you want espresso? I could probably make you some. It's, um, not going to be up to the usual standards because we ran out of the good beans and, like, the new machine isn't that good and-" She babbled, eyes still fixed on the ground.

Reborn said nothing during her rant, but when he finally realized that she wasn't stopping-she started to talk about the cat she had found on the street...just a moment ago wasn't she was talking about the pretty lady she had talked to when she picked up the beans?-he covered her mouth. This, of course, effectively shut up the girl who was still finding the ground more interesting than him.

"Tsuru, shut up." Reborn growled, ignoring her flinch. "I'm going to say something, and you better listen to me, okay?" The man ordered. She nodded shakily, her clenched fists relaxing just a bit.

"I'm sorry. I won't apologize for banning you from missions, but I am sorry I yelled at you when you were simply doing what we had planned." Reborn murmured. Tsuru stared into his onyx orbs, her amber eyes confused. The hitman sighed, sounding exasperated. "But by not accurately contacting and informing your backup as to how many enemies you were facing while on your first battlefield is basically suicide, Tsu. I was worried." He sighed, tilting his fedora downwards. Tsuru gaped at him, before nodding slowly.

"I...understand," She entwined her fingers together, lips pursued, "I was an idiot as well for not following your orders, because I was worried that you had your hands full…I don't want you all to think I'm nothing but dead weight, so I was trying to prove that I could help you all as well, but it seems like I was more of a nuisance than any help, huh? I'm sorry for being an idiot." Her words were muffled against his hand, but he still could hear it as if it were as clear as day.

"Tsuru...you're not a burden on us, we're happy to support and help you whenever you need us to. You help us everyday, you don't need to be battle capable to carry your own weight. You carry your weight by welcoming us home every time we return from a mission, every time we come back and see you safe, and every time we know that you're there when we need you." Reborn sighed, and then he ruffled her hair. He removed the palm that was covering her mouth, and she smiled brightly with a hint of mischief and badly concealed relief.

"Come on, where's breakfast?" The hitman teased. Tsuru blinked owlishly before she laughed.

Reborn let out a groan as he pushed the girl towards the counter, and rested his chin on top of Tsuru's head without a warning.

Tsuru's laughter ceased, and before long, echoes of Tsuru complaining about how "heavy Reborn's head is," and "It must be heavy because of how bigheaded he is, isn't it?" and Reborn pinching the girl's cheek tightly while retorting, "My head is heavy because it's actually filled with something, airhead!" rang down the halls.

"It's so early and the two of you are already fighting…? What are you, children?" Verde scolded as he leaned against the wall, studying the two. Tsuru struggled from Reborn's hold before she turned to Verde, greeting him as he nodded back towards her.

"Good morning." Verde replied with a hint of smile playing on his lips. "So...breakfast?" His eyes trailed over the counter, and he sighed when he saw the batter just lying to the side with the pan. "We're waiting, okay?" The man said, before he left the kitchen. Tsuru immediately pushed Reborn out of the kitchen as well, and soon after that, she could hear the chaos among coming from her comrades, the loudest voice belonging to Skull. The caramel-shaded eyes fluttered close for a moment, a small smile crossing her lips.

(_this is how it should be_)

Her fists clenched tight, before they relaxed.

(_she just wished that they could be together, forever) _

She wandered back to the counter the pan in hand.

(_although she knew that could never happen_)

* * *

The sunlight shined upon her face, right onto her closed eyelids. She let out a soft groan, finding the light irritating. She felt so tired for some strange reason. It was like she hadn't even fallen asleep last night and instead had stayed up reading a thick book. But she did remember that the others were in the middle of a mission, sans Reborn who was tasked to...guard her.

(_It felt like he was here not to guard her, but to babysit her._)

It had been three days since they had left, but the mission wasn't as hard as the usual ones, although it was very far away-which was why they had been gone for so long-it involved chaos, destruction, and basically what usually did. This was the first mission they had after last time's fiasco (_where she fucked up so badly that she couldn't join any missions now) _and of course, she wasn't allowed to come and Reborn himself volunteered to protect her, but she knew he stayed behind to keep an eye on her so she wouldn't escape and try to follow them.

A yawn left her lips.

Slowly opening her eyes, she dazedly noted that her back wasn't pressed against the soft mattress of the bed. Her head was lying on something hard but warm, and she nuzzled deeper into the warmth. Half-lidded, another yawn escaped her lips. The back of her neck let out a soft crack when she tried to move it, causing her to notice that she had fallen asleep while leaning against the wall. Burying her head further into the object next to her, she blinked as she realized it was Reborn next to her, asleep as well, and the warm object that she had been leaning on was Reborn's shoulder.

She let out a squeak in shock which woke the hitman. He yawned, before he opened his eyes all the way. He turned his gaze to Tsuru who was gaping at him and he scratched the top of his head, locks of hair messier than typical without the usual fedora perched on top of his head.

"Morning." He greeted, and Tsuru could only nod numbly.

"Morning." Tsuru found herself sighing as Reborn climbed out of the bed, one hand offered to her. Without saying another word, she grasped the warm appendage-and it was very, very warm, in a sharp contrast to the person in front of her-and when she blinked, she was standing in the middle of her room, staring at a wall.

"Tsu? What's wrong?" Reborn asked as he raised one of his eyebrows. Tsuru wanted to say that it was nothing and she was fine, but her lips clamped shut at the thought of speaking the half-truth. It wasn't like she wasn't okay, she _was _physically_, _but honestly? After staring at a wall, blanking out, and how she felt like everything was moving forward without her? She didn't feel okay at all mentally and emotionally. She didn't feel _normal. _

So instead, she smiled at the older man and chose to step in front of the mirror hanging on her wall, attempting to flatten the top of her acute case of bed hair. Reborn said nothing, and when she heard the door leading to the hallway open and close, she sighed and sat in front of the mirror, leaning her head against the cool surface.

"What am I _doing_…" She murmured, her voice breaking at the last word. She knew that she was strong, she could handle all of the stress-even last night, _even last night_ with all of the nightmares-she killed someone, that man hadn't gotten up after she cut him and _they_ were complimenting her about the perfect slice which removed the man from the equation and _they_ wouldn't stop talking commenting throughout the battle as it played out again in her head "_Oh, messy, you should've done a backwards stab there, that would've pierced his aorta, much easier than trying to behead him" _like the people she was fighting were nothing but an objective to take down in the quickest, most efficient way possible and then it wasn't an enemy she was stabbing it was Colonello, and then Fon, oh, there's Reborn and Viper and Lal and Verde on the floor bleeding out too and _what had she done_-that had gotten _Reborn of all people _to come running to her bedroom in fear that someone was attacking her-but here, standing in front of her own reflection, she was so uncertain of how strong she truly was. Maybe her will _was_ weaker than the others? She laughed hollowly.

"I promised to myself that I'd be strong, that I wouldn't disappoint anyone, I'm going to be strong, strong enough to become their home and say I'm their Sky but-" She let out a choked breath-but she was still so haunted by _them_ even if she managed to hide it from the others and she was so horrified that she _had taken another life_. Slowly, she sank down into the floor, forehead pressed against the freezing floorboards. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, and a muffled sob left her lips.

She was supposed to be strong but look at her now…! She was all tears and no power, pathetic pathetic pathetic pathetic _pathetic! _

She continued to hate herself, hating her very existence, hating the fact that she was so weak weak _weak unlike them, the ones who had fought in the frontlines of the battle like goddamn heroes and like they were born to battle and fight and __**win **_and all she could do was stay back and be a burden not a Sky not a Sky with this brittle heart of hers that couldn't accept and envelope all, she couldn't be a home all she could be was a nuisance, a piece of trash that needed to be thrown away, an abandoned toy because she wasn't interesting anymore she was worn and weary and used and abused she-_she_-

A pair of warm arms wrapped around her shoulders shaking her out of her thoughts, and she found herself leaning against something so, so very familiar, with a scent of tobacco and a hint of musk and that bitter tang of _espresso_, and she unconsciously leaned further into the heat, tears slowly trailed down her cheeks, like the tears were the embodiment of her pain but there weren't enough, there weren't _enough tears to show all the pain she felt. _

"Re-Reborn-" She choked out, her lips trembling as she stuttered his name. The man stiffened slightly before the arms around her shivering figure tightened, but still gentle, like he was handling a glass statue that was cracked, broken, but not shattered yet. Her fingers grasped the expensive suit that Reborn always wore, and she clutched it like a lifeline, like it was the only thing that was keeping her grounded to reality and not flying away to god-knows-where in her mind.

"I'm sorry." The hitman whispered. He leaned forward, chin resting on top of her head. She sniffled, a giggle-sounding too hollow, too hysterical, too broken for someone with a heart as big as hers-leaving her lips, before another came out and then she laughed and laughed, and couldn't stop laughing even as her laughter turned to sobs of heartbreak. Reborn could only hold her tighter as the sobbing faded til all that was left was gentle hiccuping coming from the broken girl.

"It wasn't you-it was me, you don't need to apologize, Reborn-" The girl whispered, her eyes burning from all her tears but she felt like she still hadn't cried enough because the pain was still there, the pain that she couldn't understand-was it because of the mission now? Was it because of her lack of strength? Was it because she was alive? Was it because for once she was regretting her escape from that damned place? Why was she crying now? For her pitiful existence? The people that had grown fond of her? Her inability to protect? Her abandonment of her friends?

(_memories surfaced, the soft smile that Hibari only ever gave her when they were alone, the mischievous chuckles and gentle giggles of Mukuro and Chrome, the bright grin of Takeshi, and the proud, loyal smile of Hayato)_

Why was she crying now?

(_and the others were hurt, hurt badly especially Colonello because she was an idiot, she was an idiot and now everyone was hurt, hurt so badly and it was her fault fault faultfaultfault-) _

"Tsuru, please." The girl giggled, and the sound felt bitter in her mouth. She must have been imagining things now because the strong, mighty Reborn would never sound so, so sad for a piece of trash like her.

(_why was the thought of hating herself so appealing now?) _

_(why was it? why had it stopped being so before?) _

_(why did the thought of her being nothing but a nuisance sound so...so fitting?) _

"Reborn, it was all my fault…" Her voice was defeated, as if she had resigned herself to accepting that all of the trouble that had befallen their little group was because of her. It was like she _knew _that everything was already her fault, and maybe thousands of scenarios had gone through her head, filled with nothing but bad _bad_ results and she thought that it was true, it was true that it was _all _her fault and-

Another set of arms joined, and Tsuru felt even warmer. Turning slightly, she found herself staring at Colonello's blond locks glued to her shoulder. Her hand was clasped by another's and her gaze met purple nails, specifically Skull's. His hands were warm too, so, so warm.

(_Oh, they must have just returned from the mission_)

She closed her eyes.

The scent of espresso left her side, but then it was switched with spice and incense and she dazedly registered it as Viper. A back pressed against her's, and azure strands rested against Tsuru's other shoulder. Lal did not say anything, because words were overrated and even without saying anything, her presence conveyed a million reassurances that were so much more precious than words.

_I'm here. _

Fon chose to pat Tsuru's head gently as he kneeled next to Lal, lips curved up into a beautiful, comforting smile. Reborn leaned against the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he watched over them all.

Tsuru could only laugh, the sound so quiet they had to strain their ears to hear it. There was surprise, bitterness, a trace of hollowness, but gratitude and relief were starting to overpower the negative, and slowly, as she reopened her eyes, the dead look-like she had seen a ghost earlier, so pale and wide eyed and so, so _blank_-disappeared and slowly, returned to her own caramel fire, slightly dampened from her breakdown, very fragile, _but_ _strong in her own way of quiet support on the side and forever accepting them with all their flaws back into her embrace_.

"Please, don't ever think of yourself as a nuisance, Tsu…" Colonello whispered, his voice shaking as he spoke.

Skull nodded fervently in agreement, his eyes suspiciously bright and glazed over. "I-I would never think of _onee_-_chan _like that! Y-you are the one who acknowledged me and sa-said that being a stuntman and a de-decoy was awesome, and I-I haven't heard that since I arrived here and please-" He leaned over as he pressed her knuckles against his forehead, "Please don't think such things…" his voice hitched, and she noted the drops of water that fell onto her skin.

"What he said." Mammon murmured awkwardly. After a moment, the illusionist chose to fall back, and then Fon replaced Mammon.

"I did not expect the pain to last this long…" Fon whispered, his eyes showing worry and apology and _why does he look like that_, "It seems that I was a bit naive, thinking that you would be okay after a day...I am such an optimist."

The chinese man chuckled self-deprecatingly, thumb wiping away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "Come on, stop crying, you're tearing my heart apart here with your tears." The man jokingly said, and Tsuru let out a choked laughter at the horrible pun, her laughter still thick with tears.

"But I'm nothing but a nuisance here...you're all facing danger and everything to protect us and I just stay here, useless and-" Lal immediately covered her mouth, refusing to let go.

"No. Listen to us. Do you remember what the first thing you told us was when you arrived at this cottage?" The bluenette asked.

Tsuru stared at her with confusion clear in her eyes, and Lal's lips twitched upwards in an almost smile, "You're our caretaker, aren't you? You're never to be our comrade in battle, because when we get back, you're the one who's going to take care of us. Everyone would be too tired to take care of each other, and it's nice to think that we don't have to hold back because we have someone precious to us to come back to."

The copper-eyed lady ranted, slowly letting the hand fall from her face. "So don't say that you're a nuisance, okay? You're not. Just how many times do we have to tell you that you're not a burden, huh? Do you need some training from me so you stop thinking that way, you punk?" Tsuru paled slightly at the thought of going through Lal's training course specially set aside for those who irritated her, and Colonello laughed as all the arms around Tsuru tightened as if to protect her.

_It'd be nice… _

She slowly closed her eyes, enjoying the sudden chaos that erupted-as Verde who came late to the 'party' immediately protested a comment Reborn made and was now arguing him, Fon chuckled in amusement at the sound Mammon let out every time he patted the girl's head, Skull and Colonello who paled as Lal immediately said something about training and punishment-and strangely, even with all the noise, she felt at peace.

There were still shadows hanging in the back of her mind, but as long as she had these people, she supposed that she would be alright for now.

Her eyes fluttered close.

_(although forever is not going to be ours._)

* * *

"Reborn, you got another mission." Even weeks after _that _event happened, her voice still lacked the warmth whenever she talked about a mission. Her grip on the envelop was so tight her knuckles turned white, but she sighed and passed the envelope over to Reborn who simply patted the top of her head.

With one swift movement, he opened the envelope. Raising one of his eyebrows, he carefully opened the folded paper inside of the envelope. It was mostly empty, save for a few words written in the middle.

"_Go up the mountain, leave no one, come quickly._" Reborn recited. He lifted one of his eyebrows higher as he eyed the words, growing suspicious because of how it was written. True, there was a mountain not far from the cottage, but the wording of 'leave no one' meant that Tsuru would have to come with them-but wasn't the location a bit too close? And way too vague? And how long does 'come quickly' even mean? Now?

"Let's pack. I have bad feeling about this, but we have to complete it." The hitman spoke, before his onyx orbs trailed over to Tsuru who glanced back at him with a questioning look. "Unfortunately, according to this letter, you have to come with us Tsuru." He murmured, his eyes never leaving Tsuru.

The girl tilted her head in confusion, before she pointed at herself. "Me?" She asked, her voice laced with suspicion. Reborn nodded slightly, disliking the taste of dread that began to settle in the back of his mouth. Tsuru's eyes widened. The brunette then nodded, and left the room to get both her scarf and her hat.

"Where are we going anyway?" Colonello asked as he grabbed his camping bag, with his trusty rifle resting against his side.

Reborn jerked his thumb towards the mountain looming over their little cottage, fedora shadowing the look on his eyes. "Up there. The letter said so."

"And Shi has to come along with us?" Lal asked, a frown appeared on her forehead.

Reborn nodded slightly, the grip on the letter causing the fragile paper to crumble underneath his death-grip. "Tsu? Do you feel something?"

Tsuru made a questioning noise from behind him, but then the brunette coughed softly as she was choking_. _"Uh- yeah- I feel nauseous all of the sudden-strange, was it the food?" Tsuru murmured, not really understanding what had happened.

"I don't think it's the food, Tsu. If it was the food at fault, then all of us would be affected." Verde corrected, pressing a hand against the girl's forehead. It wasn't warm, but Verde was not a doctor-merely a scientist, even if he did experiment on humans occasionally-so his words weren't to be completely trusted.

"That's true…" Tsuru nodded, covering her mouth and closed her eyes tightly in an attempt to stop the growing pain from a sudden headache.

"Can you walk up there by yourself, Tsuru?" Fon asked, worry clear in his voice. Tsuru nodded slightly, and with an excited shout-while fervently ignoring her growing nausea and the buzz of warning in the back of her mind-she dragged Colonello along behind her. Colonello simply stumbled next to her and chose to trade jokes with her.

("_Hey, hey, Tsu, so I was reading this book about anti-gravity." _

"_And..?"_

"_It was impossible to put down." _

"_You-" _)

"Should we say anything to her…?" Fon strolled next to Reborn was still studying Tsuru's back. The hitman said nothing, but walked faster and then he slowed his pace to match Tsuru's once he caught up. The girl beamed at him, and then she grasped Reborn's hand tightly. The raven haired man lifted one of his eyebrows at this. She was smiling, but her trembling grip on his hand said everything her smile didn't show. Reborn could only tighten his own grip to say that he was _here, _before the others joined the three.

When they finally reached the top of the mountain, they were all surprised to find that there was nothing there. They were presented with a view which was nice and pretty but there was nothing else. Only a rocky surface, and the sky above them. They all took a deep breath, and Tsuru pressed her palm against her lips to hold in the nauseous feeling that began to overtake her senses. Skull rushed to her, worry clear in his eyes. Tsuru shook her head gently, as if trying to convey that she was fine, but her lips couldn't move.

"G-guys, something's coming." Tsuru closed her eyes to ease the pain in the back of her head, "We need to make a circle and Nello-nii-step back, run away NOW!" The caramel shaded eyes flew open to glare at Colonello who instinctively took a step back. The blonde stayed quiet for a moment, before he nodded and left the mountain top.

The others moved to stand in circle, all waiting for _something _to happen. Slowly, a bright, bright light descended from the sky, and it took nearly their _everything _to keep their eyes opened. Tsuru coughed loudly, catching some of their attention. "S-stay where you are, ok? Don't. MOVE." The now tangerine eyed girl growled, and they stayed still.

When the light began to envelope all seven of them, they could only close their eyes, not knowing what would happen to them. Loud footsteps could be heard, a thud echoed and then everything was dark.

_choose, _

_the body of a grown man but a skill of young'uns. _

_or the body of a young'uns, with the skill of a grown man. _

_choose. _

_choose. _

_choose. _

When Tsuru opened her eyes, she could see that their comrades were fine, physique-wise. She took a deep breath-_why was taking a breath so painful?_-before a small cough left her lips. She tried to stand, but then her knees buckled underneath the pressure and causing her to fall on her butt once again. She let out a confused noise as she blinked repeatedly.

She felt a weight dangling from her neck, and when she look down, her eyes widened in horror.

A pacifier.

It was a-a pacifier-

And then it hit her.

The Seven Strongest.

Strongest in their elements.

Sky, Sun, Storm, Rain, Mist, Cloud, Thunder.

A small cottage in the middle of nowhere.

The missions-?

So they could- take on the curse of the Arcobaleno-?

"WHY DID YOU PUSH ME DOWN?!" Lal yelled at Colonello who was staring at her. The blonde pulled himself into a sitting position.

"Why? Because I have to protect you of course." He said, his tone of voice implying what he said was obvious. Lal trembled in fury, before she slapped the younger one.

"I still got the pacifier, you damn idiot!" She growled, shoving the corrupted pacifier in front of his face. His baby blue eyes widened.

So now they were cursed- without any warnings at all-

Wait-

Wait-

Wait-

(_and before they realized it, their countdown had begun) _

_(and their forever had slip from their grasps as well)_

* * *

**A/N; So? So? How is it? Please don't kill me. **

**Reply to Anon Reviewer; **

**Crucifix HiME; I enjoy writing that part. And I also wiggled a little when I wrote that because it was so ridiculous. I hope Xanxus will forgive me. Yup. Glad you like it~ **

**I shall name the next chapter as...hm. Tremble. Because I wrote tremble a lot, haha. **

**A/N From Beta: Omg guys I'm so sorry it's all my fault this took so long. First I was nitpicking at the plot and then summer school started for me and I completely forgot this was on my computer waiting to be edited! *bows low* I hope you can forgive me and I'm going to start editing the next chapter right after this!**

**Another A/N from writer ^ : pssh. She did awesome. Please thank her, everyone. ^^)/ **


	13. tremble

**A/N: Yay for Tremble! I personally enjoyed writing this (**_**no, not because the angst and the pain, of course not**_**) because even I wanted to tear up while writing this. Well, maybe it was the song. I wrote this while listening to Unravel accoustic version (fucking unravel) and I see fire by Ed Sheeran. Yeah, the second song is not that sad, but the tone makes me want to write dramatic things. and thus this was born. Really, don't kill me pls.**

**thank you for my dear eva that despite everything that happened to her life, she managed to finish this piece. thank you. ;; **

**Warning; OOC, angst, drama, aaand it's shorter than the others. heh.**

* * *

_And then they slowly returned to their little cottage, minds filled to the brim with unanswered questions..._

Tsuru didn't know what to think.

The weight of the object hanging from her neck was too heavy to be ignored. She'd heard about it, the curse of the strongest seven, the _Arcobaleno_. But to think-to think that she was now one of them, one of the _un_lucky ones to receive such a curse without warning, without any alarms whatsoever and now they were all stuck in these forms, still an adult to the eye but with the abilities of a young-child, struggling to stand and return to their feet.

_she didn't want to remember_

_how she struggled to stand on her own feet_

_when they look so aggravated by the fact they couldn't fucking stand _

"What is this." Reborn whispered, his voice quiet against the silence that threatened to consume all of them.

"What is this." His eyes traveled over the pacifier clutched tightly between his fingers, though of course, no one could answer him. "What is this, dammit-"

The shock was still there, freezing all of them in their spots, and the pacifier innocently-_innocent? it was anything but innocent! It was a death sentence!_-shined, color so bright unlike the dark emotions that began to run through their heads and their hearts and all of this was so confusing, but none of them had answers, none of them knew what the fuck was going on, not even the sky, the sky who was supposed to know _something. _

And the silence was broken when a loud slap echoed.

"Why did you that?" Lal growled, copper eyes glaring at Colonello's azure pair scathingly.

The blond did not step down, he simply matched Lal's look with his own, even going so far as to lean forward, trying to show his dominance over the blue haired woman. Lal knew this tactic. Some brat thinks that height-_physical height_-can beat experience and so they tried to loom over her, with condescending gazes thinking that she was just a _girl_.

But she was not, she was not a girl that needed to be protected like a fucking damsel in distress, _dammit! SHE_ was here _FIRST_, not _HIM!_ So why the fuck did he protect her, even though it was futile-_the two of them knew it was futile, the curse was set by the time he pushed her away, it was fucking_ _**useless**__-_so why, dammit?! _WHY?!_

"Why did you do that?! ANSWER ME, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Lal demanded, her fists pounding against Colonello's chest repeatedly.

The blond's face twisted in pain slightly each time Lal's hits connected as he attempted to block, but he stayed silent. It was his choice. Yes, he knew it was useless. He knew it from the moment he saw that bright, bright light. But he couldn't stand the thought of _something_ happening to his beloved teacher, so even if it was useless, even if he only had a slight chance to actually protect her, he would take it. He would take it _in a heartbeat_. Because really, it was better than watching her get hurt, and yes, he was selfish. But could you blame him, for wanting to save her?

"Why did you do that... You were supposed to have a good future, not stuck-not stuck like this, dammit...!" He heard her whisper, voice filled with anger and agony and he _knew._ He knew she would be angry, she would be livid with his decision but he also knew he wouldn't regret it.

So he didn't answer her. He just wrapped his arms around the woman he loved, tight and warm, and she clung to him, tears rolling down her face, unstoppable.

Not far from their position, Reborn's steps were silent as he walked towards the nearest wall. Tsuru tilted her head slightly, and she stumbled towards the man-it was so hard, she never knew just standing could be so _hard_-lips pursed.

She said nothing as she settled next to him, immediately grabbing his hand and entwining their fingers. Beneath her grip, Reborn's hands were trembling, only visible to those who paid attention. His fedora shadowed his eyes, but she just _knew_, that he wore a look that was completely unusual for Reborn. For today, the Reborn who would gleefully torture someone, who smirked and planned schemes, who was the strongest hitman in the _world _was gone, and the one who stood beside her was instead Reborn, a man, another human like her, broken and repaired and broken again from the trials of life.

"Reborn." She softly called. She bit her lip, trying to stop the trembling, trying to hide her fear. But she was in a room filled with the world's best, and so Reborn could only tighten his grip on her hand.

"Tsuru." He greeted, voice grave. Tsuru nodded slightly at him, her head resting against Reborn's upper arm, trying to find something to lean on because somehow she could tell living was going to be much harder from now on because even breathing was painful, each inhale of breath hurting and _why was breathing so painful now?_

"Sha-shall we sit somewhere else?" Tsuru queried as she tugged the hand within her hold towards the couch. Reborn didn't pull back or fight her, he just let her lead him to her intended place. There, Fon was already sitting alone, eyes on a bracelet she had never seen before. She took a deep breath-ignoring the pain that flared-before plopping down next to Fon, Reborn in tow.

"Fon." The caramel haired girl touched her companion's shoulder gently, frowning when the man jolted. Fon tilted his head slightly, before a smile appeared on his face.

"Oh, Tsu. And Reborn too." The hitman answered with a tilt of his fedora instead of words, and Tsuru narrowed her eyes. Fon's smile alarmed Tsuru. He looked like was calm but he wasn't, his eyes were crying but he was smiling, lips curved upward like usual but-

Tsuru wrapped one arm around Fon's neck, gently pulling him into her embrace, one hand still holding Reborn's hand. Fon, predictably, stiffened when his forehead was placed against the girl's shoulder, and Tsuru didn't say anything, gently running her hand down the man's back.

"Stop smiling, damn it." The brown eyed girl hissed, voice thick with unshed tears. "Stop smiling when your eyes are crying." She whispered, ignoring the way the man began to quiver in her embrace. And she also ignored how her shirt began to become soaked with his tears, the way Reborn was rubbing her knuckles with his thumb, how Mammon began to walk closer to the group and sit down because how could she care, with her eyes filling with tears that were beginning to spill over onto her cheeks?

"I was going to return from this mission as part of the strongest, to fulfill my promise to my little sister." Fon's voice shook, but Tsuru could feel the fond smile brightening his face at the thought of his sister-and she wondered, was it possible for her to be remembered the way Fon remembered his little sister? But a dark corner of her mind that would always exist whispered _no, no you won't_-and the tremors underneath her touch became less obvious as Fon gathered himself back up.

"But I see that it is no longer possible." He murmured, a dry chuckle leaving his lips.

"Our lives only changed slightly, Fon. You can still brag about being one of the strongest, you know." Tsuru whispered, her fingers gripping Fon's clothes tightly. "The Arcobaleno are the strongest in the world, are we not? Couldn't you say that you are a chosen one now?" She questioned, her voice still below a murmur, but loud enough for Fon and Reborn to hear. Reborn's thumb stilled and Fon's body froze, before hollow laughter followed her words.

It seems that she said had said that a tad bit louder than she had meant to.

"No, Tsu, we can't." Verde said, his voice filled with wry amusement. Tsuru gently let go of her hold on Fon, eyes darkening in curiosity.

Verde could see the obvious internal debate that Tsuru was having about whether to ask or not, because whatever he was going to show, would probably change her perspective on the situation. _It must be, _the dark voice whispered at the back of his mind, but he shook it away.

"Watch this. Skull, throw your pacifier. Make sure you can still reach it." The scientist commanded, and Skull obeyed. He threw the pacifier away, and as the object hit the floor, Skull immediately collapsed, his lips parting to let out a pained moan. Tsuru widened her eyes, beginning to connect the pieces.

"This little thing now controls our lives. If someone gets our pacifiers, they will have our lives in their hands. It can be taken, Tsu, and we can be threatened to obey. If people find out about this, we can all say goodbye to freedom." The emerald eyed man said coldly, though his eyes betrayed what his true feelings. _Fear. _For once, the mighty scientist felt _fear. _

Verde kneeled in front of Skull's pacifier, his fingers gently picking up the purple pacifier. He nudged the pacifier back into the man's grip, and Skull immediately took a deep breath, as if breathing had become easier. He coughed softly, chest heaving as he tried to regulate his breathing again.

"N-never, never let me do that again. God-Goddammit that was painful as _fuck_-" The stuntman swore, his voice gruff from the lack of air. Tsuru lifted a hand to cover her lips, hands shaking from the implication of Verde's words.

_we can no longer live our lives like before, if we want to live_

Tsuru let her eyes travel from one comrade to another and when she found nothing but grim _acceptance _in their gazes, the brunette's heart sunk. And anger overtook her senses, because _how could they just accept this fate?! THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO FIGHT BACK! THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE REJECTING THIS, NOT JUST- NOT JUST- _

"No, we can't fight back, Tsu." Reborn whispered softly, as if he were reading her thoughts. Tsuru froze, eyes turning to Reborn, onyx battling against caramel. "This is beyond our understanding now. I'm mad, I'm so fucking mad but there's nothing to fight!" He shouted.

Tsuru could only watch as the usually composed hitman broke into pieces. She could only watch because she didn't understand, she didn't understand why they can't, why their lives were changing and then she remembered that their job involved killing and there must be people who wanted revenge on them, there are people who would fight back, use them for their expertise in killing, finding things, torturing, and-

"I-I'm going to bed." Tsuru whispered as she let go her hold on Reborn's hand. She walked briskly towards her room, shutting out the pain. When she entered it, she slammed the door and leaned back against it, sliding to the ground as choked sobs left her lips. She couldn't understand, she couldn't understand because her reputation caused her to be loved and accepted warmly, not to be scorned or be hated, and that's why she couldn't understand-she couldn't imagine being feared in the Mafia-she couldn't understand _AT ALL. _

"I-I have to save them." She whispered, feeling the fire of determination burn and control her senses. "I have to...save them..." And she went quiet, the gears in her mind turning and grinding to find the perfect chance to escape, to finally, finally be useful to them.

* * *

In the morning, all that was left of their sky was a letter and a blue haired pregnant figure smiling at them at the kitchen, drinking tea from a teacup they didn't even know they owned.

_Don't look for me. _

_-T_

Was all that was written in the letter.

"Where's Tsu?" Colonello demanded, the letter crumbling in his grasp.

The lady simply smiled at them.

"Somewhere." She answered cryptically.

* * *

Yamamoto Takeshi let out a sigh, starting to get exhausted from talking to the two monsters with blood lust so thick he could _taste _it. "Geez, those two need to calm down." He grumbled with no malice.

Gokudera Hayato growled. "Those bastards both have better things they need to do than fight each other every time they meet." Takeshi could only laugh nervously, hoping the two monsters didn't hear what his companion said.

"Haha, Gokudera, it'd probably be best if you didn't say that in front of them." The Japanese said, another nervous chuckle leaving his lips.

"What, I can't sa-"

"Hayato look at the stre-!"

_SLAM!_

"O-oh I'm so sorry! Are you okay?!" Takeshi immediately shouted, worry palpable as he kneeled in front of the lady Gokudera had accidentally hit. "Hayato! You should have paid more attention to your surroundings!" The tanned male chastised his companion, who only grumbled as disdain filled his face.

"N-no, it was my fault, I'm the one who should be sorry-" The lady babbled. She stood immediately-though she did sway a little as she got up-and bowed deeply to the two. "I'm sorry I'm in a hurry bye!" The brunette said hurriedly as she began to walk down the street and back out of their lives-

That is, she would've walked down the street and out of their lives, if Hayato hadn't reached out and wrapped his fingers around the lady's wrist.

He lifted her wrist upward-ignoring the protest that left the her lips and her struggles to pull her wrist from his hold-and the brunette's fringe slowly parted because of her frantic movements-so _familiar_-and caramel met emerald.

Hayato froze, not believing his eyes.

_Those eyes. _

"T-Tsu..._hime_?"

* * *

**A/N ; Yay for YamaGoku's return! Haha, I hope I managed to convey the emotions, because clearly, I suck at it. Kufufufu. So let's say that this chapter is the climax, and the beginning of the end. I can see the end now though it's still far we're looking at...hmnn.. six or seven more chapters. That is, if I don't procrastinate and choose to make the chapters even shorter, which is not what I wanted. like I promised, I won't abandon this story, but it's probably late.**

**sorry, not probably. it's a freaking hell yea its gonna be late because school starting next week ;; **

**anon reviewer replies; **

**Crucifix HiMe; **_details here and if you can't catch them, they still adults but with a few backlash effects. :D thanks for reviewing, yo! _

**Especially when august comes because in mid August, I'll probably be going to Jakarta, so I can write, but I can't post. I think. ugh I'm so not looking forward to talking in front of public. Still not sure about the schedule. Help. **

**Beta Note: Sorry guys this is late again and I got pretty sick. I'm almost better now though! Thanks for the understanding that you all having been showing lately! :)**

**ciao! ;) **


	14. freeze

A/N: Heya! Sorry for being late, I needed to wait for my muse to return from war (haha)-buuuut here's a chapter. I hope it's to your liking. By the way, guys! GUYS! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE FAVES AND FOLLOWS OMFG I didn't know that this story could catch so much attention and you guys are here too and fuuuuuuck. I love you guys and yes homo.

Fuck thank you so much.

Warning; Tsuru with the Tenth Generation-minus Ryohei and Lambo, and then... uh...curses? Oh also angst and this author being an asshole. Your welcome.

* * *

Hayato felt Tsuru freeze in his hold.

His emerald eyes trailed over his saviour's figure-she was thinner now, but she still wrapped her neck with a red scarf, and still wore a hat (which was currently knocked onto the road), but her beautiful, expressive caramel orbs were widened in what appeared to be fear.

But of all expressions, why was it fear?

Hayato decided not to pay too much attention to it.

"Tsu-hime, it is you!" He shouted, lips curving up into a grin as he wrapped Tsuru into a hug, not noticing her struggling.

His arms tightened around Tsuru as he buried his face in her hair-it was still as fluffy as prior to her disappearance-before full blown laughter left his lips, giddy and excited. "W-why you didn't tell me-us!-that you'd be coming?!" Hayato exclaimed, viridescent eyes glimmering like an excited child's.

Tsuru was about to answer, but Takeshi beat her to it, pulling Gokudera away from her. "Hayato, calm down! You're holding her too tightly! Tsuru can't breathe!" Takeshi panicked. Tsuru slumped on the road, eyes on the sky as she tried to recover, chest heaving from the lack of air-or was it because she couldn't breathe?

The raven haired man kneeled beside her, one hand resting on her upper back. "Tsuru, take a deep breath and exhale after I count to three, alright? Okay, inhale, one...two...three...let it out. Come on, do it again." Under Takeshi's guidance and liberal use of his rain flame to keep her from going into a panic attack, Tsuru managed to breathe again, although her eyes looked a bit misty.

"T-thank you." She croaked, voice raspy and still recovering. Takeshi smiled warmly and nodded, before he turned his gaze to Hayato who looked extremely concerned and on the verge of panicking himself. Tsuru tilted her head, drawing his attention back to her and smiled reassuringly, beginning to stand up.

"I-I'll be fine. Probably. Anyway, I really have to go and-" Tsuru's eyes widened before they turned to look at Takeshi who was still smiling warmly at her, although it had become slightly strained. His tanned hand grasped her wrist, tight enough that she couldn't run away, but loose enough that his grip wouldn't bruise.

"Takeshi?" The brunette questioned, eyes showing confusion.

He chuckled, shaking his head. "Haha, sorry. I can't really let you go after that disappearing act, you know. I-We all missed you." The sword wielder said, lips twitching into a sad smile, and something in Tsuru's heart cracked.

"I'm sorry, but-" She averted her gaze from Takeshi who looked hurt, but of course Hayato had to cut in.

"Tsu-hime? Why did you return to Namimori?" Hayato asked, curiosity clouding his better judgment. Tsuru looked alarmed for a moment, before she took a deep breath and turned her gaze to Hayato who still looked ecstatic because of his saviour's return and her obvious safety.

"It's...none of your business." She murmured, her voice became softer at the end of her sentence. Hayato wasn't happy with her answer, but he decided not to force the answer out of Tsuru when she wasn't willing to share. So he nodded silently, resigned.

"Now, I'm sorry, but I'm really busy a-"

"Whoa, Tsuru, what's this? You into jewelry now?" Takeshi asked as he looked pointedly at the orange pacifier hanging around her neck. The pacifier gleamed under the sun light, so it was really hard to miss, especially with Takeshi's watchful eyes. But then Tsuru turned her body slightly, enough to hide the pacifier from their prying eyes. _But it was too late, _Takeshi thought as he watched Hayato's emerald eyes widened in recognition.

"An orange pacifier-it looks like Reborn's-" Takeshi saw her jaw tightened at the mention of Reborn, lips pulled down and her hand tugged the brim of her hat lower, "-but how? Only the Arcobaleno hold pacifiers-wait-oh-" Now the final puzzle falling into the right place, and Hayato's mind made a clear connection of why his _hime_ is carrying a pacifier, _an orange pacifier. _

Everyone in the underworld knew who the Arcobaleno were. The Arcobaleno is another group filled with the seven strongest people from the underworld. Not just in Italy, the place that was pretty much called the home of the mafiosi. But the whole world, no exception. The Arcobaleno always carried a pacifier, and the color of said pacifier always the same as the person's Flame. Few choose to wear them in public-for power, for status, for fame-or few choose to hide them, though no one knows why anyone would hide their pacifiers. The world knew it was high time to choose the next generation of the Arcobaleno, but they suspect that it was already chosen, and now seven individuals carried the pacifier.

Reborn, the Sun.

Fon, the Storm.

Lal, the Rain.

Verde, the Lightning.

Skull, the Cloud.

Mammon, the Mist.

And a sky.

But then when someone saw Colonello with blue pacifier hanging down his neck and Lal beside him, her pocket bulging with something, rumors began to spread. Lal was supposed to be the rain Arcobaleno, what happened until Colonello is now the one who's carrying the pacifier, not his teacher?

And there was another rumor that their sky had fled, and the elements had bonded with a new Sky-Luce of the Giglio Nero.

"But isn't Luce the Sky Arcobaleno? Or does she no longer hold that position?" Hayato missed the relieved look that flashed through Tsuru's eyes at the mention of Luce, her hand unconsciously stroking the smooth surface of the pacifier. But she broke out of her trance, and began to struggle to escape from Takeshi's hold.

"Tsuru!" The girl lifted an eyebrow in question, though she didn't stop her struggle, "Let's make a deal. I'll let you go, if you promise that you'll come hang out with us for a while." Takeshi pleaded, watching as guilt began to settled in her eyes. After a few tense moment, she nodded stiffly, her movement seems reluctant.

"Yes!" Takeshi cheered as he choose to ignore the girl's sharp intake of breath, "Hayato, come on! Let's go spend time with Tsuru!" Tangling his fingers with Tsuru's-_so she can't escape, _he thought selfishly-Takeshi grinned as Hayato perked up at the words 'spend time with Tsuru'.

"Where do you want to go, Tsu-hime?" Hayato asked excitedly, as he began to bounce in place. Tsuru patted his shoulder softly, trying to get him to calm down.

"Um...let's walk around town, I guess? It's been awhile after all...I think I would definitely like to…visit the tree….." Her voice growing softer at the end, but the other two hadn't missed it. Of course, her two companions immediately agreed.

"Sounds great!"

"Of course, Tsu-hime!"

* * *

The first stop was the bakery.

Takeshi and Hayato both remembered how much she adored sweets, and so they immediately headed towards the nearest one to buy her a wide variety of cakes.

("_Just like old times," she murmured softly.)_

Her lambent orbs shone with glee as she explored the store-_everything's so familiar, just like back then, back then when everything was still alright and she was playing with Kyo-kun or when she hung out with Takeshi and Hayato before_\- and thanked them after they paid for everything she had chosen and sat down in one of the tables outside, an almost nonexistent smile tilting her lips upward, fragile but real for the first time that day. Hayato blushed furiously at the thanks and claimed it to be their responsibility to pay while Takeshi grinned widely in return over Hayato's bowing head.

"Oya?" A familiar voice came from behind Tsuru, and Hayato and Takeshi turned abruptly only to find one of the most violent people in Namimori standing there, with amused look on his face. "What's this? I thought you two didn't like sweets?" Mukuro asked as he raised one of his eyebrow in confusion. He didn't register who the brunette in front of him was, until she turned her gaze to the newcomer.

Mukuro froze.

"T-Tsu-chan?" Mukuro gasped, heterochromatic eyes wide with surprise. Tsuru's caramel eyes widened slightly, and without a word she tackled Mukuro, arms wrapped around his torso tightly, afraid of letting go and having him disappear. Not like Mukuro wanted to let her go, anyway, not when she was within his arms now, not when he could finally feel her warmth again.

"Tsu-chan-but how? I heard that you'd vanished in Italy but now you're here and-" Mukuro rambled, and Tsuru clamped her hand over Mukuro's mouth, as she lifted an eyebrow in challenge. The man shut up immediately, but his numerous questions were still obvious in his eyes.

"I'm on...a mission." She hesitantly replied, as a slightly bigger smile than earlier appeared her lips. "So you live here now? Is Chrome-nee living here too then?" Tsuru looked around as if she expected Chrome to be hiding in the shadows.

"Kufufufu, of course. She was planning on talking to the skylark, and I was going to meet up with her underneath the tree." Mukuro chuckled softly, enjoying the sudden change of his dear friend's expression. Tsuru's eyes widened at the word 'skylark', and she looks at him with pleading clear in her eyes, begging him to take her to meet the vicious skylark. He laughed again at that, because even now, Tsuru still couldn't hide what was on her mind.

"You want to come with me?" She nodded rapidly, and he couldn't keep his amusement from leaking into his next words, "Very well, I suppose you can. Chrome will be happy to see you." The sound of chairs screeching against cement and frantic packing rang out immediately after Mukuro agreed. He watched as Hayato and Takeshi hurriedly shove the sweets into the box without damaging them too much, and Mukuro smirked in amusement.

"Great, let's head to the next place!" Takeshi exclaimed, and Tsuru let out a whoop of excitement as she hugged Mukuro's arm and leaned her head against Mukuro's upper arm. Mukuro chuckled as he ruffled her hair, ignoring the squawk that left her lips.

(He did not realize that she had put most of her weight on him and that her legs were unstable.)

(Mukuro and Hayato did not realize, but Takeshi _did._)

* * *

"Mukuro-sama!" Chrome happily greeted as she waved her hand, before her eyes trailed over the figures that followed him. She knew Takeshi and Hayato from when she first arrived in Namimori-they had said that they were friends with Tsuru, and asked where she was but she hadn't been able to answer any of their questions-and the three of them had eventually become friends. If Hayato wasn't as loud as he is, they would probably even be best friends.

But then her lips parted in surprise.

There was a fourth figure, swaying slightly and laughing and looking oh so alive and-

"TSU-CHAN!" The usually timid and silent girl took off at the sight of her friend, and she glomped the younger girl who squeaked in surprise. They landed on the ground, and Chrome laid on top of Tsuru, hugging and sobbing openly.

"Chrome-nee." Tsuru breathed out, happiness clear in her voice. Chrome tightened her hold as she lifted her head to see Tsuru's face which looked so relieved and so beautiful just like the last time they met and-

"Tsu-chan, you're still taking care of that wild mane of yours, right?" The older woman asked, her lips curving up into a smile. But her voice was anything but happy, and the girl beneath her shivered.

"O-of course! It's better now I-I mean!-It's messier now…" She said, changing what she was going to say when confronted with the disbelief clear in Chrome's eyes.

But before Chrome could tease the girl further, a hand snatched her wrist and pulled her away from Tsuru, who got up from the ground and looked around in confusion to see who had pulled Chrome off. And then warmth surrounded her, along with a familiar scent of _sakura _and tea and copper like blood. "Kyo-kun…." She whispered, voice soft with awe.

The black haired prefect nodded, voice muffled by her hair as he murmured, "You were gone longer than you said you would be, Omnivore." and with that, the dam broke.

She sobbed loudly, tears streaming down her face without care, fingers grasping the back of Kyoya's shirt and she leaned her forehead against his collarbone and his uniform was probably soaked now but he didn't care. He missed her. He missed her warmth, her smile, her scent, her laugh, her cries, and all the time they'd spent together and all of that and more and-

Another pair of arms joined.

And another.

And another.

And a final pair, although this one was far more reluctant.

And it was warm.

And it was so, so warm.

* * *

"S-So all this time that you had been missing, you were actually staying in a remote cottage in Italy, and now you're an Arcobaleno?" Hayato asked, incredulous. Tsuru nodded as she took another bite of the cake in front of her, before she squealed in delight because of how delicious the cake was. She blinked, before she cleared her throat, her cheek reddening slightly in embarrassment.

"And the pacifier has no negative consequences?" Mukuro asked, worry clear in his voice. But despite that, she could only shrug. She _didn't _know how bad the negative consequences would be. Sure, she knew her body's current condition better than anyone else, and it was currently in a rather sorry state but she didn't want to worry them too much. So, she told him a half-truth, instead of lying altogether.

"I'm not sure." She replied, before she took another bite of her cake, eyes darting to each of her companions who stared at her like she was going to disappear the moment they took their eyes off.

She inwardly chuckled, soft but bitter. _Well, they aren't that wrong in that. I'll disappear the moment their gazes are somewhere else. _

"I see." Kyoya mumbled. He reached out, and soon his fingers tangled in Tsuru's messy hair, ruffling it gently. "Don't leave again." He demanded, and Tsuru nodded.

_It's a shame that I can't stay. _

"It's not like I have anywhere to go anyway. I can't stay beside them like before, so…I'm stuck here, doing my mission." She said as she absentmindedly played with the cherry pit from her cake.

_But this mission is for them. I know I'd fuck up and do something stupid too, if I had stayed, so it's better like this, _she thought, her gaze staying on the cherry.

"I'm going to beat those fucking bastards up." Hayato growled, red coloring his vision.

"D-don't!" Tsuru grabbed his wrist when he tried to stand up, shaking her head when the silver haired man turned his eyes on her, "They're far too strong for you to take on. So don't. I don't want you to get hurt…." She trailed off as she averted her eyes. She doesn't want the Arcobaleno to get hurt from this mindless fight either, so for the benefit of the two groups, it'd be best if Hayato did not attack the Arcobaleno.

She had to change the conversation. NOW.

"So...how have you all been? Doing fine?" The Sky asked tentatively as she returned her gaze to the elements. They blinked, staring at each other for a moment, before chaos erupted as they all tried to tell Tsuru about what happened in their lives while she was gone, voices overlapping one another and Tsuru couldn't help but lift her hand and massage her temples because they were giving her a migraine.

Then Hibari cleared his throat and murmured lowly, "I'll bite you all to death."

Silence overtook them instantly.

"One at a time, please?" Tsuru pleaded, her voice began to tremble, but the other mistook her tone for excitement. So Hayato, who simply couldn't wait to tell her about his life, started the round. She smiled, she nodded, she laughed, she even put in a joke once in awhile, but the throbbing at the back of her head was no longer something to be ignored.

_Not now, not now please, not when I haven't even completed the mission, not yet not yet no-_A soft groan left her lips, her middle finger and forefinger began to massage her temples. _Fuck, this is the worst attack, so far. _She thought, as her lips trembled from the amount of screams she tried to hold in.

Another wave of pain began to cloud her mind. Holding the nausea in, she covered her lips as she raised her right hand, accidentally cutting off Mukuro and Chrome's story. When curious gazes turned to her, she tensed. They couldn't know about the side effect, no.

They definitely can't know at all or she'll fail her mission, she'll fail, she'll fail, she'll _fail, dammit because what they are doing right now is stalling and time is not something that she has fuck fuck fuck- _

"I'm sorry, I…." _Deep breath, _"I've been running all day, and I didn't sleep well yesterday… so can I be excused? I have something to do tomo-"

"Tomorrow we're going on a picnic." Takeshi cut in immediately. Tsuru immediately turned her gaze to Takeshi, betrayal clear on her face. But Takeshi didn't budge at all, brown eyes dark with something she couldn't read, but she could see that he _knew _something, and wouldn't hesitate to use it as leverage to get what he wanted. She released shaky breath. Her friends had changed so, so much, they were so different from what she remembered, so, so strange.

But time was not something she had. They could be here at any moment, they could be here and she knows where her target is and she has to finish this, she has to, she is so _fucking close she could taste it, but all this dawdling wouldn't help, wouldn't help her mission at all, but that selfish feeling inside of her heart wanted to spend more time with them, with the people that shaped her into who she is right now, but dammit her future was in danger, she was risking her fucking future here and- _

One look. Just one stolen glance and she crumbled.

They had all put on a hopeful face-_even Hibari fucking Kyoya_-and she wasn't strong enough to tell them that she couldn't go tomorrow. Her selfish side purred in pleasure, but her instincts screamed at her to _go go go _and she wanted to, dammit! But she couldn't go breaking their hearts like this, it was enough the first time, she couldn't do it again….

Not again…

So despite the alarms blaring in the back of her head and the nausea that threatened to surface again, she asked for a time and place, which Takeshi gladly told her to be at ten o'clock, same place they were at then. "As for food, let the others handle it and _Tsuru, please just come_," he said with a smile.

Bastard.

She really, really hoped that this wouldn't bite her in the ass, later.

(And she belatedly thought that nowadays, she cursed a lot. _Must be the Arcobaleno's influence, _she mused.)

* * *

"Luce." Reborn growled like usual, and she sighed. Ah, yes, this was one of the moods that she'd become accustomed to when she first began to live with the Arcobaleno. The mood she hated so much, when they tried to interrogate her for Tsuru's location. Honestly, she wanted to give them her location-because she knew how dangerous Tsuru's mission was, and she'd rather that Tsuru didn't do everything all by herself-but Tsuru made her promise, promise not to tell them her location, and she had. Tsuru was-is-a dear friend of hers, so she couldn't. Couldn't tell them, even as her heart screamed at her to tell them.

"Still a no?" Verde asked, irritation clear in his voice. Of course the man was getting antsy. There was this-foreboding feeling, like something wrong was going to happen-and those feelings are rarely wrong-and they all knew it had something to do with that troublesome Sky of theirs, running away without telling them, but telling another party who became a nuisance while they tried to find her and-

A phone rang. Mammon picked up her phone. Her grip tightened on it.

"We've got a match." The illusionist spoke up, phone pressed against her ear. Luce felt her heart stop, and her blue eyes snap toward Mammon who was still speaking in the phone. After a goodbye, she ended the call, and her head turned toward the others who began to look at her with anticipation and anxiety.

"Namimori. She's in Namimori-this afternoon, she was seen hanging out with someone that resembled Rokudo Mukuro and Gokudera Hayato, along with another Japanese boy the spy did not recognize." Mammon said, fists clenching at her side.

"B-but the first time we scanned Namimori, we didn't find her at all!" Skull yelled, desperation and a speck of hope clearly displayed on his face. He slammed his palm against the table, purple eyes blazing with anger. "So how the fuck did we miss her?! Could this mean she's been in Namimori _the whole time?!_"

"Skull!" Luce interrupted, but Lal raised her hand to shut the sky.

"She must've been hiding from the spy. She does have that damned intuition because of the sky flame, the Vongola bloodline, and also the fucking pacifier." The soldier growled, her eyes glaring down at the stuntman who moved to sit, taking deep breaths to keep his emotions from running wild.

"But if we know where she is right now, shouldn't we go there as soon as possible?" Fon said, a calming smile still on his face, but both his gaze and his voice echoed his true feelings-the urge to _destroy something_. Maybe it was from irritation, maybe it was from anger, disappointment, relief, and everything mixed into one to make him show his true colors as the strongest Storm in the world.

_No. _

Reborn nodded, and without wasting much time they left the cottage, and Luce grabbed her phone as fast as she could and began to dial the number she memorized. She couldn't keep the number saved after all, what if Reborn had looked through her phone and seen the contact? That would've been horrible.

First ring.

Second ring.

_Please, please no. _

Third ring.

Fourth ring.

Fifth ring.

Sixt-

"Tsuru, please-please answer the phone-" Luce whispered frantically, clenching the phone tightly as her heart beat faster and faster, as dreams from last night began to unfold itself within her mind.

The Arcobaleno, all wearing faces of irritation.

Several young adults, lips curled downward, anger clear in their eyes.

Tsuru lost, lost in the middle of the forest.

Checkerface lifting his face from a book, wearing a smirk.

"Please-please be safe-" Her eyes moved from her phone to the retreating back of her comrades, before she chased after them, her heart still wishing for nothing to happen to her dear, dear friend.

But of course, as a bitter taste settled at the back of her throat, she knew her wish was futile.

* * *

Her phone rang.

And rang.

And the owner of said phone slept her day away, nightmare plaguing her sleep.

Of tears.

Of pain.

Of loneliness.

Of warmth.

And a smile.

* * *

A/N; i said that i was going to make like, five more chapters, right? but turns out, it's probably gonna be three long chapters! yeah! we're nearing the end, people! YO! :D Three chapter excluding this one, of course. So one, two, and an epilogue! So close, soooo close. C: it has been quite a ride, eh people? ;D

anon reviewers (i love y'all so much-) ;

Guest (1) ; the drama is kind of painful, no? :D drowning? oh no, i must safe you! O: hehe, i like teasing y'all, ya know? cliffhanger are my jam. now i understand why writers like to write cliffhangers, lol. i love cliffhanger so much HAHA. here's the update! thank you for reviewing, and also welcome back!

Guest (2) ; That's kind of what i wanted. HEHEHE. i will tell you why i wrote her like that during the epilogue, because it's not fun if i reveal it now, right~? and no, she's not going to be decimo. :D about kicking butts though...hmnnn…. thank you for the review, yo!

Crucifix HiMe ; Haha, it was lacking something, i know that too, but eh. can't do much about it :I haha, your welcome! also, thanks for reviewing~

sooo. yeah. ciao? C:

Beta Reader Note: Once again, the late chapter is all my fault. School just started back up for me so I didn't have the chance to edit this til Friday (I'm so sorry Rei, I thought I could finish before Thursday!) and I didn't expect to get as much homework as I did the first week. I hope you all enjoyed the long awaited chapter!

Rei's note; Also, when she finished the chapter, I was kind of in the middle of a trip and I can't access my computer at all since I kind of left my laptop home. So...yeah :D Hope you guys like it~


	15. fall

**Warning : Do not read if you are feeling down atm. Because this chapter is sad.**

* * *

Her caramel eyes jolted open as she rose from the bed, chest heaving at the lack of air inside her lungs. She bit her thumb to calm herself down, before coughs interrupted her breathing. She covered her mouth to prevent more blood from getting on her sheets, but she knew it was pointless. It was going to become dirty again, especially if the pain that erupted from her chest when she coughed was any indication. She knew it would be best if she finished everything today.

No more dilly-dally-ing. She had to stop him now.

But then again, she'd promised her friends a picnic. The day was beautiful, bright sky and sun shining above her head and she wanted to go out and have fun with her friends but above them. Above her past-was her future. She had to save her future.

The Arcobaleno-her _future._

_-you are my sunshine-_

Hayato stood in front of Tsuru's gate, verdigris eyes brightening at the thought of spending his day with his beloved princess. Oh- not an actual princess, but he couldn't find any other way to give her a nickname without being degrading. He supposed he could call her by her title-Il Ascoltatore!-but it was far too long, and it wasn't like she was fond of her title. So he called her his princess, and Tsuru begrudgingly accepted her nickname.

When he woke up _very_ early this morning-he was _way _too excited-he accidentally alerted his older sister, Bianchi. She had asked why Hayato had woken up exactly at five o'clock in the morning, and with heavy heart he'd told her of his plans. And after that, Bianchi demanded to come with him, and said that she would bring her own food. Hayato suppressed a shiver. Bianchi's food never meant a good things, even if she didn't exactly mean it for it to be bad.

The sound of a door creaking open alerted him immediately, and he turned his gaze just in time to see Tsuru open the gate to her home. Lambent eyes blinked in confusion, before she tilted her head slightly. "Hayato? What are you doing here?" She asked. Hayato scratched the back of his head while laughing nervously. He really couldn't tell her that Mukuro had asked him to pick Tsuru up, right?

* * *

"_Knowing Tsuru, she'll probably want to do what she came here for tomorrow, at the exact time of our picnic. So Hayato." Said male lifted his head to gaze at Mukuro who smirked at him. "How about you pick up Tsuru at her home tomorrow?" The man asked, his heterochromatic eyes glinting in amusement. _

_Hayato smiled brightly. _

"_Of course!" _

* * *

So here he was, standing in front of her house, suspicion coloring her gaze and Hayato desperately tried to think of a reason for why in the world he would know where she lived. "I wanted to protect you! So I asked the pineapple bastard about where you lived and here I am!" Hayato exclaimed, before he let out another round of nervous chuckles.

Tsuru stared at him for a moment, before she sighed. "So Mukuro-nii told you about how I'm going to run away, huh?" She asked, and Hayato's heart skipped a beat. Crap. "Figures. That man needs to let people handle their own business." She growled, irritation filling her voice. Hayato was quickly on his knees, his posture in the perfect _dogeza_. "I'm so sorry hime! I promise I'll never do something like this again!" He shouted, guilt clear in his voice. Tsuru blinked for a moment, before she sighed. "I forgive you. Please stand now?" She pleaded, and he stood immediately. "As you wish, hime!"

Tsuru could only smile at him, amusement brightening her eyes.

But he couldn't see the sadness beneath those irises of hers.

_-my only sunshine-_

"Mukuro-nii, I'm going to kill you." Tsuru threatened as she arrived at the tree, where they had promised to meet each other for the picnic. Mukuro simply smirked at her words, as if he were expecting her to snap like that. Hayato was still muttering about 'being a disgrace to his _hime_', and 'why did I do what that pineapple bastard told me to do', while nursing his red forehead because of the sudden _dogeza _he'd done earlier.

"I love you too. Now, please take a seat?" Mukuro gestured for her to sit on his right, and Tsuru complied with a sigh. She sat down, eyes studying each of her friends' expressions. Everyone else was already here, she was the last to arrive. Hayato was staring at her, looking suspiciously like a puppy. Takeshi grinned at her, happy that she'd shown up. Hibari nodded towards her, before he grumbled something close to, "I hate crowding with herbivores," Chrome was smiling at her and Mukuro chuckled heartily.

It seemed that she couldn't escape after all.

"So, I brought sushi for this occasion! I even asked dad for the expensive ones, because my best friend was visiting after disappearing for so long!" Takeshi said excitedly as he opened one of the containers, revealing it to be filled with a wide selection of sushi, and everyone smiled and began to eat and chatter about trivial things, with even Kyoya saying something once in awhile.

So she flicked her ears to a higher, more sensitive setting-she could hear the sound of grass scratching, could hear the wind, could hear footsteps, cars, words from miles _miles away_-and smiled at the others when they eyed her curiously. She closed her eyes-letting the machine wake, coloring her eyes orange as her vision sharpened, looking much like cat's eyes now-and when she opened them, a beautiful sunset was slowly revealed.

"So they did alter your eyes to that degree…" Mukuro whispered as he watched Tsuru play with the alterations to her senses. Tsuru jolted, and she turned her gaze to Mukuro who looked guilty. She smiled slightly and shook her head as if she knew what was running through his head. "You're thinking too much, Muku-nii. If I didn't have these eyes, these ears and these fingers, I wouldn't have met you guys and for that, I'm okay with these changes and maybe even kind of grateful for them." She said with a gentle smile, before she covered her mouth and coughed into her palm.

"_Hime_-" Tsuru lifted her head to see Hayato on the verge of tears. Takeshi looked slightly uncomfortable, while Kyoya looked like he was ready to murder someone. "T-they altered your eyes…? What does that mean…?" Hayato's malachite orbs began to widen as Tsuru tugged at Mukuro uncomfortably, eyes snapping from Mukuro back to Hayato, just to return at Mukuro's heterochromatic eyes, hands still covering Tsuru's lips.

"It was something that happened in the past, before you met her. She met me during that period. She-was...let's say that she was stolen from her beloved family, and then thrown into a hell-hole and in there, she was...experimented on-" Tsuru gave Mukuro a slight nod, allowing Mukuro to tell them more about what happened, "-by those bastards from the Estraneo _Famiglia._" Mukuro growled at the name, hatred dripping from his words. "They experimented on her, taking her original eyes and fingers and ears and changed her into this cyborg and-" Tsuru leaned against Mukuro's arm, stopping him from saying anymore. Mukuro broke out of his rant to see Tsuru's paling face, and the man shut up immediately.

"THEY WHAT?!" Hayato shouted in rage, emerald eyes bright with anger. Even the usually calm Takeshi looked like he was ready to destroy _something_, and Kyoya lips' were curved into a displeased frown, his fists clenched tightly.

But before she could say anything, a voice shouted _extremely loudly. _

"IS THAT THE EXTREME YAMAMOTO TAKESHI?!" A voice bellowed from somewhere, and Tsuru winced at the sudden noise coming the person. Even from as far away as the person was shouting, he was still loud as fuck! And she had just adjusted her ears to be more sensitive earlier, dammit! That was way too loud!

"Oh! Sasagawa-senpai!" Takeshi waved energetically at the white haired man who waved back excitedly as he ran to where they were sitting. As the man approached, Tsuru finally able to make out some more of his appearance. Gray eyes, a bandaid at the corner of his forehead, a bright, bright smile and-

Her eyes widened.

Was it normal to be leaking Flames constantly and not look tired at all?!

"Um… Takeshi, who…?" Tsuru asked, her words slightly muffled by her palm. But judging from Takeshi's smile, he heard her clearly, which was a relief. "Tsuru, meet Sasagawa Ryohei-senpai, my upperclassmen back in school! Sasagawa-senpai, this is my best friend who returned from Italy, Tsuru!" Takeshi said to both Tsuru and Sasagawa who grinned brightly.

"I LIKE YOU ALREADY! DO YOU WANT TO JOIN THE BOXING CLUB, TSURU?!" Sasagawa said-though because of the volume of his voice it could've easily been mistaken as a scream-and he grabbed Tsuru's outstretched hand and began to shake it excitedly.

Wow, Sasagawa's grip was _strong. _

"N-no, thanks." Tsuru murmured, hoping that her eyes showed enough hesitance towards the offer. Sasagawa readily accepted her answer, and she discreetly wiped away the blood staining her lips. No one noticed-thankfully-but she didn't see the look Takeshi sent her.

"CALL ME ONII-SAN, GOT IT?!"

"H-how about Ryo-nii?"

"ACCEPTABLE TO THE EXTREME!"

"O-okay…"

"Ahaha!" Takeshi laughed, and the others followed suit. Even Kyoya who would normally threaten 'I will bite you to death' didn't display his usual killing intent. Instead, he smirked slightly, and Tsuru was astounded by how different Kyoya was now in comparison to before. But she was glad that Kyoya wasn't picking up his tonfas every five minutes now to challenge someone to a fight.

And as they bathed under the sunlight, their laughter becoming a beautiful chorus, the delicious taste of sushi on her tongue, she felt content.

But the pang in her heart reminded her of her present-her future-which she desperately wanted to save.

She missed them.

She missed them so, so much.

_-you make me happy-_

"We're close." Mammon announced as she stared at her phone, her breath hitching slightly as she watched the livestream of Tsuru's current activity. There, she saw Tsuru smiling oh so brightly and laughing with other people. Most of them were strangers, but she could recognize a few faces, like Rokudo Mukuro, Dokuro Chrome, and Gokudera Hayato. Her grip tightened on her phone, her lips pursing and a frown appearing.

"She looks so happy…" Fon whispered as he leaned slightly towards Mammon to see the screen better. "What a beautiful smile she has." The martial artist murmured. He was not usually one for emotion, but seeing her so happy made him feel so much more. Happiness (_she smiled. she __**smiled**_). Relief (_she's alright. she's fine and breathing_). Jealousy (_they made her so, so happy. but I want to be the one who makes her smile, I want to be the one not them_). Anticipation (_oh dear, I'm about to see her again_). Anger (_why did she leave us? WHY?_). And also, Fear (_is she going to reject us? again? choosing them over us?_). While he was glad that they had finally found her, there was a nagging thought at the back of his head, asking _is this is the right choice_.

But Fon squashed the thought. _Of course it is. _

Verde moved to the seat behind Mammon and he looked at the picture. "Is it just me or has she become...thinner?" He mused, his fist tightening as he watched Tsuru begin to eat more sushi. He was glad that she was eating but she was thinner then when she left, and he began to make theories as to what the cause of her weight loss was. He hoped it wasn't a side effect of the pacifier-because he did see the pacifier hanging loosely around her neck-but he couldn't cross that possibility off the list. No one knew what the side effects of the pacifier were. No one.

Lal, Colonello, and Skull slept, but the creases on their foreheads told them that their sleep was anything but restful. Maybe it was because they were finally going to meet their sky again-Luce could be their sky. But dammit, Tsuru was _their first and most beloved sky_-and adrenaline began to rush through their veins as their hearts beat faster in anticipation.

Luce stared through the window, bright eyes dimmed considerably with fear and worry. She really hoped that Tsuru was alright, but she had heard Verde's comment earlier-she'd lost _weight?_-and now she was beyond worried. Dread had begun to settle upon her and she whimpered softly. _Please don't take my Tsuru away, please don't- _

And it was Reborn's voice that broke through all of their thoughts, sending them into an alertness they usually reserved for missions.

"We're here."

_-when skies are gray-_

Her ears perked up at the sound of footsteps, loud and fast and so fucking _familiar. _

Her eyes widened and her lips trembled-

_How did they- _

"No, no, nononononononono no why are they here-" She muttered frantically, and before the others could ask what was wrong, she stood up and patted her skirt off. And as they opened their mouths, she ran.

She just-ran away. Like something she had feared was now _here_, in Namimori, and Gokudera began to connect a few dots as he glanced at the approaching group. He could see the top of Reborn's fedora, and Luce's huge mushroom hat, and without thinking, he stuck his hands into his pockets, searching for his trademark dynamites.

Takeshi watched as Hayato began to take out four dynamites, each resting between his fingers. Takeshi-who had brought his sword to show Tsuru the new techniques he had learned-now rested his hand on the hilt, dark eyes turning to see where Hayato is staring.

Kyoya let out a muffled snarl, bloodlust leaking from him as he stared at the _carnivores _that were slowly approaching. His fingers were _twitching _to grab his trusted tonfas to protect himself because these _carnivores _were much more dangerous than the people he usually faced. And _that _was saying something. But Kyoya growled deep and low in his throat, as eagerness began to run through his veins at the thought of knocking these people down, because _he _was the alpha here. Not them. _Him. _

And both Mukuro and Chrome's eyes widened at the sight of a very, very familiar scientist that was trudging slowly along side the rest. The green hair was unmistakably _his_, so seeing him with the group that caused Tsuru to run away was...confusing. What the hell happened with them? Tsuru was so fond of the scientist-so why was she running away from him?

"_Can I be excused? I have something to do tomo-" _

Takeshi didn't know why, but her words flashed in his mind. But before he could even say anything to his friends, the people-strangers, but familiar at the same time-were standing in front of their group.

The man wearing a fedora looked down at them, the brim of his fedora shadowing his onyx eyes, his fingers trailing over a gun that was faithfully nestled on his hip. The man with a braid smiled at them, but his brown eyes were as cold as ice. A man with piercings didn't look _too _menacing, but the aura around him was enough to make them reach for their weapons. The person in robes was frowning, and they could see their fists were tightly clenched. A man with glasses frowned at them, though his emerald eyes were observing them, _dissecting them. _A pair of blue eyes belonging to a blond man glared at them, teeth clenched and with a growl leaving his throat. He was ready to pounce and _kill, _but a hand belonging to a woman with blue hair stopped him. Although, that didn't mean that the blue haired woman wasn't glaring at them as well, no, if anything, her glare was far more _murderous _than the blond's. And lastly, a woman with a huge mushroom hat smiled at them, though there was a hint of nervousness behind those kind eyes of hers.

Takeshi simply didn't like them.

"Can I help you?" Takeshi asked, straight to the point. He didn't even bother to smile at them, simply matching their glares with his own, trying to staring them down and he ignored the warning bells ringing at the back of his head. "I don't know why you guys are here, but please leave. You're scaring a lot of people here." He said, as he gritted his teeth.

The man dressed in black lifted an eyebrow at him, before he chuckled darkly. "Look, it's a puppy barking at me." He mocked, the corner of his lips curving into a sneer. Takeshi held back his temper with the experience of a Rain. He couldn't be reckless here. Not now. Not when these people were way stronger than them.

"69. 96." The man wearing glasses stepped forward, eyes on Mukuro and Chrome. Mukuro scoffed as he stood, grasping Chrome's hand and gently guiding her to stand up as well. "Verde-san, it's been awhile. And please, we go by Mukuro and Chrome, nowadays." Mukuro interjected with a pleasant smile, his tone anything but pleasant. "May I ask why are you with these...people?" Mukuro asked, as he turned his gaze to the people that he didn't recognize. Verde pushed his glasses up, before he sighed.

"These are my...colleagues. This is Reborn," he gestured toward the man with the fedora, "Fon," the man wearing a martial artist uniform was still smiling, though it had lost a bit of its dangerous edge, "Skull," the man with piercings scoffed at them, "Mammon," the person in a robe didn't reply or even twitch, "Colonello," the blond growled once again, "Lal Mirch," the blue haired woman didn't say anything, "and Luce." The woman with a kind smile waved at them.

"We don't have time for this." Mammon hissed. "We need to find _her _as soon as possible! I have a bad feeling-" Mammon's words were cut off by a gentle hand from Fon that settled on top of their shoulder. He squeezed gently, hoping that the simple gesture would be able to calm them down. It worked somewhat, as their figure began to relaxed, even if only by a fraction.

"'her'?" For the first time since the other's arrival, Kyoya spoke. "You better not be talking about Tsuru. Or I'll bite you to death." It wasn't a question, it was a _demand_ to not touch the most precious woman in Kyoya's life. He gripped his tonfas tighter as he saw their postures _relax _of all things, as if they had finally found who they were looking for.

"So you know where she is?!" Skull yelped, all pretense of 'coolness' seeping from his tense posture as he leaned forward slightly, his eyes showing the desperation that he had hidden from the beginning. Luce looked like she wanted to hold Skull back, but decided to not interfere, watching things go by.

"Even if we did, we won't tell you." Hayato growled.

Reborn smirked.

"Then all we have to do is to force the answer out of you."

_-you'll never know dear-_

Tsuru was running as fast as she could, even as her feet began to tear and bleed, and her stray hair catch on wayward twigs. Even as scratches began to appear on her arms, even as her energy began to dwindle to nothing and her chest heaved from the lack of air, she couldn't stop.

She really, really couldn't stop.

"Dammit, why are they here?! The mission isn't over yet-!" She growled, trusting her intuition as it said that no one was following her. _Not yet, _she thought bitterly as she remembered the tenacity of her friends, both from her past and the Arcobaleno. "Shit shit shit-!" She cussed, wishing that she was born with a stronger physical body, not with this body of hers that began to fall under the pressure.

She knew that her time wasn't long.

Her condition had began to worsen when she first arrived to Namimori, a month after her visit to Iemitsu. She noticed when she couldn't stand under the heat for too long, noticed when her legs buckled when she was tired, noticed the way her coughing was growing longer and _longer, _she noticed the blood that started leaving her lips when her coughing was _bad_, and she definitely noticed when her headaches became something that was routine.

She _knew. _

That's why this mission meant the world to her. She had to save them, because she couldn't protect them any longer. All she could do was finish this mission of hers.

Even if it killed her.

So when she found Checkerface sitting underneath a tree, a book in his hand and his hat tilted downward slightly to shield his eyes from the overwhelming sunlight, Tsuru took a deep breath. She coughed and hacked when her lungs nearly failed her again, but at least she caught Checkerface's attention.

"Oh? What brings you here, Sky Arcobaleno?" Checkerface asked, his tone pleasant but she knew not to trust him. Instead, she stepped back to put some distance between them, her posture defensive. This man was dangerous, she knew that like the back of her own hand, but the only person that could save them was _him, _despite how much she loathed him.

"Please save my Guardians." She begged as she bowed her head, shame filling her body as she heard him chuckling at her words.

"And why would I do that?" He asked, amusement obvious. Tsuru gritted her teeth. She knew that it wouldn't be a fair trade if she gave nothing in return and of course, she knew that the man wouldn't listen to her if she proposed anything without any benefits to him.

"For their safety, I..." She took a deep breath. She was prepared for this. From the day she decided on this suicide mission. She was _prepared. _

"I will give you all of my flames...my life." She said, finally staring up at the man's mask, as she tried not to flinch when the smirk on the man's face turned a tad wider, just like a predator who finally caught it's prey. The man chuckled and Tsuru tensed.

"Oh?" Now his voice was colored with a hint of interest and as the purr left his throat, his smirk softened slightly making it so he looked less like a predator and more like a cat who wanted to play with it's prey. It was disconcerting for Tsuru, but she couldn't back down. _Not now_.

"Yes. I don't even care if I die. I just want them to be safe. That...is my duty as Sky Arcobaleno, yes?" She said, as she straightened her back, staring right at his mask, daring him to say that she was wrong. Checkerface simply chuckled, his gesture conveying nothing. _Is the answer a yes or a no? _She thought, wishing that her intuition would provide the answer but for the first time in _years_, her intuition stayed silent, as if it was bowing before the higher being.

"So are you really prepared to lose your life in order to protect your Guardians?" Checkerface inquired, his smirk back in place as he stepped forward, and Tsuru unconsciously took a step back. Chuckerface chuckled-soft and mocking-as he raised one hand, silencing the woman before she could say anything.

"Save it." The man cut in, "I will grant your request."

_-how much i love you-_

"We don't have time for this, dammit! We have to rescue her!" Skull yelled, clutching at his helm with death grip. Hayato who was still watching leaned forward, a fierce expression now settled upon his face. "What do you mean by _rescue her_?" He snarled, standing, his grip on his dynamite tightening.

Takeshi stood as well, followed by Kyoya and now all of them were watching, studying, _trying_ to understand what the Arcobaleno meant by _save her_. From what? Weren't they saving her from these people who were obviously looking for Tsuru?

And then their train of thoughts was halted by the broken sobs leaving Luce's lips.

"It's too late….Please…. I-no, we….we have to go now…." And she looked up to them, her eyes….

Her eyes…

"They're like Tsuru's eyes from that time." Takeshi murmured, stepping forward towards Luce who chose to stare down at her feet, as if she were too ashamed to look them in the eyes. Gently, Takeshi grasped her hands with his own, and then he squeezed, trying to convey support. "That time?!" Hayato hissed as he grabbed Takeshi's elbow, dragging him away from Luce. "What time?!" Hayato choked on his voice, feeling like he was a disgrace. How-he didn't even noticed anything! And this-this newbie noticed more than him?! But Takeshi turned his gaze to Hayato, and seeing the solemnity in his gaze, Hayato shut up. He released Takeshi, and Takeshi returned to Luce's side, now grasping her hands tighter, but not enough to hurt her.

"As long as you tell me why you have to go now, we'll let you go." Takeshi whispered, but his voice carried a command. Luce stayed silent for a long moment, before she nodded lightly.

"There is a man who cursed the Arcobaleno. Tsu-chan…" She held in a sob at her name, "Tsu-chan-she-she told me that she found him-she found him _here, _in Namimori and now she's facing him and-and I don't want her to die!" While the Arcobaleno were glaring at her, Tsuru's friends were beginning to pale. "Wait, so you mean _hime _could die?!" Hayato exclaimed, his voice tinged with desperation and realization.

Luce nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She went into the forest." Takeshi murmured.

And without another word, they took off. They ran to the forest, even though they didn't know the layout, because they simply _did not care_. Because their sky was in danger, she was going to die and they were there, fucking _talking _with useless people and wasting time and-

"If she dies, Luce, I swear to god-" Reborn growled.

And Luce could only reply with soft sobs.

_=please don't take-_

When the first wave of pain hit her, she fell to her knees. Her body couldn't decide on a temperature-hot, cold, hot, _cold_-her teeth chattering, and she was shivering, _trembling_, and she couldn't tell if she was awake or not because of all the black spots in her vision were _maddening_.

And when the second wave crashed into her, she absentmindedly thought that the ground was so, so cold, and _why was everything so blurry_ and _i miss them so, so much, _and as she mumbled _sorry sorry sorry sorry sorry- _she thought she heard the Checkerface mumble something about lies and trade and false and what was he talking about

_i'm gonna die_

as the thought passed through her head, strangely she wasn't scared. she wasn't scared, but she regretted a lot of things. she wished she'd been able to say goodbye, she wished she could stay with them, she wished she could watch them laugh and smile and go on missions together as a team because she loves them dammit she loves them so so much, and she knows she's going to break their heart but there was nothing that she could do, she's dying, she's counting down her seconds and all she wanted to see was _them, _the people she loved so much

as her eyesight went blurry and she saw feet approaching her and she heard the anguished screams and cries of _why why why_ all she wanted to do was wipe their tears away and say _sorry _but she couldn't because she was dying but she could see them one more time and it was enough for her

it was enough

her lips curved into a smile

and slowly, she closed her eyes.

_my sunshine_

_a_

_w_

**_a_**

**_y_**

**.**

**.**

**.**

* * *

**A/N : **Oh my god this chapter was hard to write. I don't like killing my character guys, please believe me- but seriously this chapter made me wanna cry even though I don't know _why_ but please don't kill me. We've still got the next chapter and an epilogue. But I promise with my life that the next chapter won't take too long, because I, too, want closure. Even though I really don't want to kill Tsuru but it had to be done. This is the ending that I planned right from the beginning, so I'm sorry if you disliked this kind of ending. I'm sorry.

anon replies;

**Crucifix HiMe**; you should be because he's fucking up shit here. why. i like kawahira why did i make him so evil why

so yeah. i understand if you people suddenly hate me or something. i understand… /goes to corner/

Before you leave, though, I have...bad news. The original beta-reader of this story, **evanescentfacade**, decided to take a break because of school. I don't blame her because school is hella hellish. While you guys are going to get the chapter faster (I'm not that mean you guys. I promise.) the grammar will be...as horrendous as the first chapter, so if any reader wants to help me beta-ing the last two chapters, I will be very grateful.

Please, give a round of applause for Eva, who despite being so very busy, she still managed to finish this chapter.

And I'm proud to say that when Iridis is at its end, we're not going to say goodbye any sooner. I decided that I will do a side story of Iridis, which will have the title of 'water droplets and light' and inside you will found the ideas that both me and Eva made, but can't squeeze into the story. So look forward to it!

And I'll see you on the next chapter. Ciao!


	16. letters

warning; short, sad, and maybe so different from what i usually write. (blame asphodels) I have to thank arashianelf for the beta in this chapter. Do you know how fast they are?! I wrote it today, sent it to them, then I watched anime and bam. Done. Amazing.

* * *

_tsunayoshi. _

_tsunayoshitsunayoshitsunayoshitsunayoshino-  
__please don't do this.  
__please don't this to us tsunayoshi don't leave us why did you do this why did you do this you stupid ungrateful beautiful brat why why why why whywhywhy_

Fon gasped for breath, wishing his lungs would take as much air as possible. But he could not, not when tears were streaming down his face, not when sobs kept on leaving his lips, and especially not when the sight of her body just kept knocking the breath out of his lungs and-

They were too late.

_no. _

_please don't please don't leave us not like this tsunayoshi tsuru il ascoltatore please don't dont dont dont- _

_dont  
__dont die with a smile on your face  
__dont-dont-_

"Tsuru….."

she didn't moved, of course.

of course.

of. _course_.

* * *

With her body now resting against his back, Colonello could've fooled himself into thinking that she was alright, that she was just tired and sleeping like she did back then when they left CEDEF, wishing that he could protect her better, better than this, better than anyone else in this world.

But then reality hit him right in the face.

There was no warmth against his back.  
There was no breath tickling his nape.  
There was no breath at all.  
There was no heartbeat.  
There was no noise.

There was nothing but a weight on his back, her lax body because of his Flames and not because of her own heartbeat and her own breath and her own life force and now she's cold cold _cold_

but she was _smiling_.

she was _smiling_ in her _death_

she was smiling as her beautiful caramel eyes slowly trailed upward to watch them before those caramel orbs lost their light, lost their warmth and just. just.

there was nothing he could do.

there was nothing he could do but to regret everything because she was gone now.

she was _gone_.

his home was **gone**.

there was no more of her left and now this body was just the reminder of their big failure. unable to protect their sky. unable to protect their home.

pathetic.  
failure.  
what a failure.  
elements who couldn't protect their sky.  
what good did all the power they had?

if he-he couldn't even protect what was important to him?

if he- he-

she was gone and there was nothing, NOTHING. he could do. NOTHING. just. _nothing_.

and when those...those brats-who were they? friends of tsuru's? who _were_ they?-asking about how she was and if they saved her and then they saw the chocolate hair on his back and they smiled relieved and they asked why they were so silent why tsuru was so silent why she wasnt saying anything

and reborn  
the epitome of calm cool and collectedness

snapped at them.  
saying she's dead now.

while colonello himself couldn't believe it couldn't wrap it around his head.  
the thought of her death was just too  
too painful.

gokudera said she lived in a house.

her old house.

(not _home_. just a place to stay. her house. not her home.)  
(_her home_ is with them, in that little wooden cottage, warm with laughter and smile and snorts and amusement.)  
(_her home_ is with them, as they lay on the green, green field with the sun warm above them, laughing and just being happy and _comfortable_)  
(and _she_ _was their home_)  
(and now she's gone)  
(**_gone_**.)

and they asked where it was.

and they went there

* * *

there was letters on the little desk.

also so many crumpled papers as if she hated what she had written.

so many ruined handkerchiefs

with blood on them  
with _blood_ on them  
ink mixed with blood.  
_so much **blood**_.

and mammon thought that this wasn't her home.

but that little space-her living room-must have been the only place she had lived in.

because there was no warmth anywhere else.

no warmth anywhere else but there.

and now she's gone.

and the warmth was gone as well.

there was letters to her father.

to the cavallone.

to byakuran.

to luce.

to her mother.

to takeshi.

to hayato.

to everyone she knows but

but none for them.

but then verde opened one of the crumbled papers and found that it was for them.

colonello laid her body on the couch-as comfortable as it could get even though she couldn't feel a _thing_-and opened another and saw it was for them as well.

and mammon opened another and found it was for them.

it was tainted with tears and blood.

she was coughing.

she couldn't read it.

reborn opened another.

and said that it was be the first time she tried to write anything.

it was readable.

he could read it.

_it_ said i'm sorry.  
_it said_ i'm sorry i had to do this.  
_it said i love you all_.  
_it said i never want to leave you **guys**_.

but those apologies _didn't_ and _couldn't_ bring her **_back_**.

fon said that the one he was reading now had to be her second try.

_it_ said i regret everything.  
_it said_ i never want to do this.  
_it said it's all_ for you.  
**_it's all for you._**

but all of those were just pretty words.

they didn't bring her back.

and mammon realized that this one must have been her last.

the one in her hand must have been her last letter.

mammon looked _closer_.

_it_ said i'm sorry.  
_it said_ i love you.  
_it said i regret_ everything.  
_it said i never want to leave_.  
_it said im scared of death  
__it _said_ im sorry im so selfish_.  
_it _said_ i love you i love you i lov**e you i love you  
**__it _said_ **thank you  
**__it_ said _im **grateful** i met you guys  
__it_ said _im so **lucky** to have all of you  
_it said _i love you  
_it said  
it sa-

another stain tainted the paper.

her tears.

when had she started crying?

all of _those **pretty words**_.

and none of them could bring her back.

nothing.

nothing could bring her back.

_nothing_.

and she felt sorry.

and grateful.

that she had met her.

that she had loved her.

and thinks that maybe she couldn't love another like she had loved her.

that selfish, son of a bitch _no good **person**_.

but even then, even then, mammon still loved her.

loved her so **dearly**.

* * *

soon it is time for the funeral.

but none of them are ready.

they don't want to say goodbye.

* * *

next time would be the last chapter. the epilogue. the funeral.

i just...it took me a lot to write this.

have a good one, guys. just a little bit more, and we can say goodbye.

ciao.

Beta Notes (arashianelf) : I have no words. No words. This was beautifully sad and the lapslock just made it better. I hope my edits made it better. (and you did make it better. thank you so much, dearest. :D)


	17. epilogue

Warning : epilogue-this is the end everyone!, also funeral, so very out-of-characters god help me.

* * *

"Mister!" A voice called out, and Reborn twitched as his train of thought was derailed from its course. He glanced at the blue haired child who smiled at him as if nothing was wrong, a wild flower grasped tightly between her two small hands. Reborn lifted the rim of his fedora slightly in greeting, and the little lady giggled childishly.

Ah, yes, today was_ her _funeral.

(Somehow, her name had become a taboo in his thoughts. Maybe because it was painful to remember that she had smiled in her death.

Maybe because her smile actually haunted him to sleep.)

The sun shone brightly above his head. It was a warm day, white fluffy clouds framing the sky and a gentle breeze ruffling his curly sideburns. It was a beautiful day, more fitting for a picnic than for a funeral. But maybe this was the way the universe would always remember her. Her funeral wasn't meant to be a sad one, it had to be a beautiful one. Just like her soul. Just like how beautiful she was.

And now, the little lady was still looking at him with a bright, bright smile, a mirror of a more familiar one.

"Mister, here, a flower for you! Mother gave them to me earlier, but I think you need the flowers more than I do!" She said with a grin that rivalled the sun itself. Her small palms pushed the fragile flowers onto his hands, and with an excited wave, she ran off. Reborn absentmindedly waved back, before his eyes glanced at the crumpled little thing in his grasp.

So fragile.

Like her.

Reborn shook his head.

The funeral was silent, because instead of crying, everyone was smiling fondly in remembrance of the kind spirit that had stepped into their lives, as if some kind of savior. It was rather strange to see so many famous people at the funeral, and what was even more amazing was that no blood had been spilt.

Not yet, anyway.

There was Dino Cavallone, who sat with his subordinates, a nostalgic expression on his face, as if he was remembering the moment he met the gentle listener. Romario held a box of tissues in his right hand, and a water bottle in his left. As tears began to trail down Dino's face, Romario moved the tissue box closer to his boss, and said nothing as his boss let soft sobs leave his lips.

And there was Enma Kozato, Shimon the Tenth. Rumor has it that the teen was close to her, so close it was easy to see that Enma put her on a pedestal, as his most treasured person. While she never mentioned him much, she did say that Enma was her surrogate brother. So it wasn't hard to see just how hurt he felt as he stared at his self-proclaimed sister's grave.

But the weirdest of all was the fact that, Byakuran was there. He sat under a tree, not moving an inch, and his eyes never left the grave. His eyes had the strangest glint Reborn had ever witnessed, but there was no manic smile on his face. There was only a frown on his face, his lips curled down in grief. He held no marshmallow, which was strange, and now he was muttering about something that Reborn wasn't sure he wanted to know. Well, actually, he was pretty sure that he didn't want to know, nor did he want to find out.

"She came to me the day before she disappeared, you know." A voice said, _sotto voce_. Reborn lifted his head just to see Iemitsu smile bitterly as he move d to sit next to the hitman. Reborn tilted his head slightly to motion the man to continue his tale, and Iemitsu simply chuckled, soft and bitter.

"She said that...she was my daughter. She came to say hello, for the first time and for the last time, and she apologized about how long she took to gather the courage to say a simple hello. She said her name was Tsunayoshi Sawada, but she went with Tsuru nowadays because of my wife." Iemitsu paused, "Actually, ex-wife would be more appropriate now."

"You divorced her?" Reborn asked as he lifted an eyebrow. He remembered that Iemitsu adored the very land his wife walked upon, and now to hear that the man actually choose to do a divorce on the woman he loved so much...

"I heard Tsu-chan's story, and I just...I loved Tsu-chan so much, you know? I begged her to stay, to not go ahead with whatever reckless idea she had come up with to save you guys." Iemitsu murmured, his voice thick with tears, "But from when she was a baby, she had this single-minded determination. It was adorable, yet distressing sometimes. She was hurt a lot from protecting lots of things that didn't match her ideals, you know? She was bullied a lot, even Hibari Kyoya was one of the people that she saved before..."

Said prefect sat beside the grave, back leaning against the tombstone as he whispered things, as if he was in a conversation with the girl. But of course, it wasn't possible, so Reborn turned his attention back to Iemitsu who looked like it took his _everything _to stop himself from crying.

"I begged her, I...I wanted her to stay, just stay here, with me, in CEDEF but you know what she said?"

* * *

"_Papa. I love them too much. I don't want them to get hurt. It was my fault that it turned out this way, it was my fault that they are stuck in this...condition. I want to reverse it, papa. I have clues, and I want to chase them, even if I have to go to the end of the world." She said with a smile, so heartbreakingly beautiful. _

"_I want to do this—no, I need to do this. For them, and for myself. And I can't do that if I stay. I have to do this myself." _

"_...I love you, papa." _

* * *

"So stubborn." Iemitsu laughed, though it was obvious that he was trying to hold back his tears, and without even seeing the man, Reborn knew that the man failed spectacularly. There was a tremor on in his voice, and Reborn didn't say anything. He wasn't sure if his voice would be steady if he were to say anything now.

"Reborn." Iemitsu said, and Reborn couldn't help but to turn his head to gaze at the older man who smiled through his tears, gratitude shining clear in his blue eyes.

"Thank you, for being her home." The blond whispered. Reborn's eyes widened, before he looked down, letting the rim of his fedora shadow his eyes, covering the tears that began to build up at the corner of his eyes. Though, from the liquid that ran down his cheeks, he knew he failed to cover just how painful it was.

She left.

She was just...gone.

"I should be...the one to thank her...for letting me—us—to become her home...and for letting us find a home in her as well..." Reborn said, his voice trembling.

Here, in the little cottage, where they had spent months together as they found home in each other, lies the grave of the beautiful woman he fallen in love with. The woman, who he longed to see the smile of again, whom he wished to hear the laughter of again, the woman who stole his heart...and now he couldn't see her ever again. Forever.

His phone rang.

He picked up his phone, only to see a message. An email.

From an unknown sender.

He opened the attachment.

And his eyes widened.

It was a photo of them, in their little cottage, smiling so happily and so blissfully unaware as to what the future might hold. And there was Tsuru, smiling oh so bright and so, so warm, her cheeks flushed with happiness and her hands were covered by theirs, and he couldn't help the small smile on his lips.

Setting the picture as his wallpaper, he sent the picture to his other colleagues, ignoring the way they reacted toward the picture as he stared at her tombstone, lips curving up into a fond smile.

(Fon looked at his phone screen, his eyes widening. Then, he couldn't stop the chuckle from leaving his lips, his thumb stroking his screen, gently, as if to transfer his warmth, right from his fingertips to the person in the screen.)

(Colonello smiled fondly at the picture while Lal smirked slightly as she wiped her tears.)

(Skull sobbed louder, wailing as he wished his self-proclaimed sister would come back to save him from the reality of her being _gone._)

(Mammon sighed, though the sigh was fond, with a hint of exasperation.)

(Verde chuckled, as he thought, 'even after your passing, you're still watching over us, aren't you?')

(And he could feel her nods and her little knowing laugh, and Verde smiled slightly.)

Near their little cottage, in the middle of nowhere and somewhere in Italy, lies the body of one Tsunayoshi Sawada, also known as Tsuru, and widely known as _Il Ascoltatore_. She was a friend, a lover to many, a sister, a daughter, someone to rely on, someone to trust, someone whose heart was bigger than the earth.

She was caring, she was graceful, she was childish, she was stubborn, she was beautiful, she was very, very kind and very, very lovely, and her heart drew many lonely souls to her, and she accepted everyone with a smile on her face.

Reborn rose from his seat, along with his Arcobaleno colleagues. Everyone glanced at them with confusion clear in their eyes, but they trudged on to the mountain that had stolen everything from them. Reborn couldn't help the growl that left his throat as he saw Luce also leaving her seat—there could be no sky for him, other than _her—_but he really didn't have a choice, did he?

"It's time." Checkerface—the _bastard_—showed up with that infuriating smile on his lips. Reborn ignored him as he cast a final glance on at the tombstone, the reflected sunlight causing the grave to gleam, and Reborn smiled slightly. She was someone who shone bright when they reached their darkest point, so it should be obvious that even in her death, she was loved by the lights.

He chuckled.

_Always the romantic one, Reborn. _

He heard her voice.

He saw a glimpse of caramel hair.

He turned around.

And he saw no one.

Convincing himself that it was just his imagination, he turned around once again.

Ja_, _mata ne_, Reborn. _

Reborn let out a soft huff. Even as bright, bright light—like that day—descended upon the rocky mountain, he grinned.

"_Mata ne_, Tsuna."

* * *

**Iridis is officially over**. I didn't make the funeral too sad. Yay.

A little translation though, _mata ne _means see you soon, or at least, a not-permanent goodbye. So.

Our ride is not over though, I'm afraid! We still have water droplets and light to go through, and also, I'm so very proud to announce that there would be an unofficial sequel for this story! Do you know why it's unofficial? Because you can think that Iridis is over right now, with no continuation whatsoever. But I want to write some...scenes that didn't fit in this story, hence the unofficial sequel! Yay. :D

Oh yeah, if you guys didn't catch what the hell the Arcobaleno are doing at that time, it's more like they are resetting the curse and now they are toddlers with adults' power. So, basically, the original version of Arcobaleno C: Tsuru gave her life-force—also known as Flames imo—until she ran out. Her already weakened body couldn't hold the strain, so she died. So Checkerface didn't lie to her, he just didn't tell her the whole truth. Tsuru's life-force is indeed strong and pure, but it wasn't enough to break the curse. So even after he drained her, it was not enough to break it, but enough to reset it. So yeah!

Once again, I would like to thank all of you for your kind support, and also my two beta readers who had been such a blast to talk to. Because of those two, you guys don't have to suffer because of my horrendous grammar, so just be glad and thank both evanescentfacade and arashianelf, alright? ALRIGHT.

Now. I'm going to announce my new two projects for KHR fandom.

One, as you all may know, is water droplets and light. I won't go into detail for that one. Yet.

And the other one was based from a conversation I had with ADDBaby who was being such a little shit but an amazing little shit. So shout out to you! So the other project would be a crossover between KHR and Doctor Who. I might write the story of what if Tsuna relived the life of one Rose Tyler, but it's going to be long. So I'm going to stick with DoctorWho!Tsuna and Companion!Arcobaleno. Yeah, it's going to be Arco27 again. Geez. But it's not going to be fem!tsuna again~ I love writing her though, just so you know.

Alright. I think I have rambled enough to burn your ears. So I will see you in the next illusion.

Wait, no, wrong anime.

I will see you in the next project!

Ciao!


End file.
